By examining how much energy is spent during the farming, transporting, processing and storing of our food, we can find innovative technologies and smart policies that can potentially solve our future food and energy problems. In this month’s Scientific American, Michael E. Webber examines how such changes are essential for keeping both our bodies and ecosystems healthy. 

            Today 10 percent of U.S. energy consumption is being used to produce food for 312 million Americans; in comparison, the world expends only 5 percent of its total energy consumption producing food for the total population—about seven billion people. For instance, in the U.S., we throw out 25 percent or more of food grown because of spoilage, which represent 2.5 percent of our annual energy consumption. “A global approach to reducing the energy waste in food that incorporates new behaviors, attitudes and policies will be critical to widespread success,” Webber writes.