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ROB MCCLENDON: SO WHILE SUCH IRONY MAY BE JUST A BYPRODUCT OF OUR COUNTRY'S
AGRICULTURAL SUCCESS, WHEN YOU LOOK AT OUR PLANET'S LIMITED RESOURCES ALONG
WITH A RAPIDLY GROWING POPULATION IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD SUCH
OUTLANDISH WASTEFULNESS IS NOT SUSTAINABLE.
JOINING ME NOW IN THE STUDIO IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN MEAT SCIENCE
ASSOCIATION, DR BRAD MORGAN.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
SO IN TERMS OF OUR FOOD SUPPLY AND OUR WORLD POPULATION, WHAT'S THE
PROBLEM?
BRAD MORGAN: THE PROBLEM IS VERY HONESTLY WE'RE VERY SPOILED PEOPLE IN THE
UNITED STATES, WHETHER YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT TRANSPORTATION OR HOUSING
OR IN THIS CASE FOOD.
WE'RE VERY WASTEFUL.
AND I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO COME UP IN THE FUTURE.
YOU KNOW BY THE YEAR 2050, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE NINE BILLION PEOPLE ON THE
PLANET.
AND IN CASE WE HAVEN'T REALLY THOUGHT ABOUT THAT, WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF LAND
THAT WE CAN FARM AND RANCH ON.
SO IN THE FUTURE, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DEPEND ON USING TECHNOLOGY.
IN TECHNOLOGY WE USE THAT IN THE BEEF CATTLE INDUSTRY.
WE USE IT IN FARMING OPERATIONS.
AND WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GO AHEAD AND USE MORE AND MORE OF THAT IN THE FUTURE
IN ORDER TO PROVIDE FOOD FOR THOSE NINE BILLION PEOPLE.
ROB: NOW IN NO WAY TO DISCOUNT THOSE THAT MAY BE SUFFERING FOOD INSECURITY,
BUT IF YOU DO MAKE A LIVING WAGE IN THIS COUNTRY, FOOD IS TYPICALLY
BOTH ABUNDANT AND RELATIVELY CHEAP.
MORGAN: ON AVERAGE, WE SPEND ABOUT SEVEN PERCENT OF OUR DISPOSABLE INCOME
TO FEED OUR FAMILIES.
NOW COMPARE CANADA FOR INSTANCE, WHO THEY ACTUALLY MAKE ABOUT THE
SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE DO.
THEY SPEND ABOUT NINE PERCENT AND OBVIOUSLY THE REASON FOR THAT IS THEIR
GROWING SEASON IS SHORTER.
THEY HAVE TO BRING IN A LOT OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.
THEY HAVE TO IMPORT SOME DIFFERENT TYPES OF PRODUCTS.
SO IT'S GOING TO BE ABOUT NINE PERCENT COMPARED TO OUR SEVEN PERCENT.
NOW OUR FRIENDS TO THE SOUTH, MEXICO, THEY SPEND ABOUT TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT
OF THEIR DISPOSABLE INCOME ON FOOD.
NOW OBVIOUSLY THEY DON'T MAKE AS MUCH MONEY PER CAPITA AS WE DO IN THE
UNITED STATES AND CANADA.
SO AGAIN, THEY HAVE TO SPEND MORE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU'LL FIND OUT THOUGH IS IF YOU GO OVER TO EUROPE
FOR INSTANCE.
THEY SPEND, DEPENDING ON WHAT COUNTRY, ANYWHERE FROM FIFTEEN ALL THE WAY
TO FORTY PERCENT OF THEIR INCOME IS SPENT ON TRYING TO PUT FOOD ON THEIR
FAMILIES TABLES.
AND THEN OUR FRIENDS IN ASIA, KOREA AND JAPAN FOR EXAMPLE, THEY'LL SPEND
ANYWHERE FROM FIFTEEN TO TWENTY PERCENT OF THEIR INCOME.
SO WITH MOST OF THESE COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD THAT MAKE THE SAME AMOUNT
OF MONEY THAT WE DO, THEY'RE GOING TO SPEND ANYWHERE FROM TWO TO FOUR
TIMES AS MUCH ON FOOD AS WE DO HERE IN THE UNITED STATES.
ROB: SO WHEN IT COMES TO FOOD WASTE, CAN IT BE ATTRIBUTED TO US JUST
BEING CARELESS WITH WHAT SEEMS LIKE TO BE A VERY ABUNDANT RESOURCE?
MORGAN: YOU KNOW WE ARE VERY, VERY EFFICIENT IN THIS COUNTRY WE ARE VERY
EFFICIENT AT PRODUCING FOOD.
WE ARE VERY EFFICIENT IN HARVESTING IT.
WE ARE VERY EFFICIENT AT PUTTING IT INTO A TRUCK AND GETTING IT DOWN A
MAJOR INTERSTATE TO A DISTRIBUTION CENTER OR TO A MANUFACTURING FACILITY.
WE ARE VERY EFFICIENT IN GETTING IT TO THE GROCERY STORE.
WE ARE VERY EFFICIENT TO GETTING IT TO OUR HOUSES.
AND MORE THAN THAT, WE'RE ALSO VERY EFFICIENT IN PUTTING IT IN A TRASH CAN
AND PUSHING IT TO THE CURB AND GETTING RID OF ANY FOOD WASTE OR ANY SCRAPS
THAT WE WOULD HAVE.
SO, OUR SYSTEM IS VERY EFFICIENT.
IN THE UNITED STATES, WE DO THROW AWAY, BELIEVE IT OR NOT, ABOUT THREE
THOUSAND POUNDS OF FOOD PER SECOND, IN THE UNITED STATES, IS WHAT WE THROW
AWAY.
AND THAT'S FOOD THAT HAS BEEN PURCHASED AT THE GROCERY STORE, OR FOOD
THAT HAS BEEN PURCHASED AT A RESTAURANT.
THAT DOES NOT EVEN INCLUDE THE FOOD THAT IS WASTED IN THE GROWING FIELD BECAUSE
A TOMATO WAS SMALL OR IT WAS IRREGULAR SHAPED OR HAD A BLEMISH ON IT.
SO WE THROW AWAY ABOUT FOURTEEN HUNDRED CALORIES PER PERSON PER DAY IN THE
UNITED STATES JUST ON A DAILY BASIS.
THROW IT AWAY!
AND THAT'S SORT OF A SHAME WHEN YOU KNOW THAT THERE IS PEOPLE IN OKLAHOMA AND
AROUND THE WORLD THAT ARE HUNGRY.
ROB: SO, COULD IT BE ARGUED THAT THIS IS JUST PART OF MAYBE A LARGER
TREND OF OUR KIND OF A DISPOSABLE SOCIETY LIKE YOU TALKED ABOUT?
WHAT'S INDUSTRY DOING?
MORGAN: WELL THE INDUSTRY, WE'RE FINALLY STANDING UP AND SAYING YOU KNOW WE PUT
TOO MUCH WORK INTO THIS JUST TO THROW IT AWAY.
AND IT'S JUST NOT RIGHT, EITHER.
SO, WHAT THE INDUSTRY IS DOING IS THIS, IS THEY'RE DOING SEVERAL THINGS AND
IT'S REALLY COMING TO A HEAD VERY QUICKLY.
WE ARE DOING A LOT OF RESEARCH, THE COMPANY THAT I WORK WITH AS WELL AS FOR
INSTANCE AT OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY, IN PACKAGING SYSTEMS, IN OTHER WORDS,
INTELLIGENT PACKAGING SYSTEMS, THINGS THAT CAN HELP YOU MANIPULATE AND
MANAGE YOUR INVENTORY.
SO IN OTHER WORDS, I KNOW THAT CRATE OF STRAWBERRIES, IT'S BEEN IN
THE PACKAGE FOR FOURTEEN DAYS WHILE THIS ONE HAS ONLY BEEN IN THE PACKAGE
FOR SEVEN.
AND YOU HAVE ACTUALLY INDICATORS NOW THAT SAY THIS ONE NEEDS TO BE PUT
OUT FIRST.
OR THE OTHER THING THAT MAY HAPPEN IS THAT WE HAVE, WE USED TO ALL LOOK
FOR THE COUPONS IN THE WEDNESDAY OR THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER.
AND IT WAS BUY ONE GET ONE FREE.
WELL THERE'S COMPANIES NOW, GROCERY STORES, FOR INSTANCE TESCO IN EUROPE.
THEY'RE ACTUALLY SAYING YOU KNOW WHAT, WE'RE GOING TO GIVE YOU A BUY ONE GET
ONE FREE, BUT IT'S NEXT TIME.
SO YOU BUY A BASKET OF STRAWBERRIES, THEY PRINT YOU OUT A COUPON.
AND THE NEXT TIME YOU COME INTO THEIR STORES, THEIR STORE, WE'RE GOING TO GIVE
YOU A DEAL OF, AND IT'S STRAWBERRIES FOR FREE.
ROB: SO THAT SECOND BASKET OF STRAWBERRIES DOESN'T GROW MOLD IN MY
REFRIGERATOR?
MORGAN: DOESN'T GROW MOLD, AND THE OTHER THING IT DOES IS IT GETS YOU BACK
INTO THEIR STORE.
SO AGAIN, IT'S GOOD MARKETING, AND IT SAVES THEM, THEY'VE ACTUALLY
SAVED ABOUT TWENTY PERCENT OF THE PRODUCE THAT THEY SELL AT TESCO'S IN EUROPE.
THEY'VE SAVED IT USING THIS REAL SIMPLE CONCEPT OF BUY ONE GET ONE FREE
NEXT TIME.
ROB: SO WHAT DO THINK THIS MORE SUSTAINABLE WORLD WILL LOOK LIKE?
MORGAN: THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA, WE HAVE ABOUT THREE AND A HALF MILLION
PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN IT.
THE COUNTRY OF SOUTH KOREA, THEY HAVE ABOUT HALF THE LAND MASS OF THE
STATE OF OKLAHOMA, AND THEY HAVE FIFTY-TWO MILLION PEOPLE THAT LIVE
IN HALF OF OKLAHOMA IN THAT COUNTRY.
SO THEY DON'T HAVE ROOM TO GROW FOOD.
THAT'S WHY THEIR FOOD IS FIFTEEN TO TWENTY PERCENT OF THEIR INCOME TO BUY IT.
MORE THAN THAT, THEY DON'T HAVE LAND FILLS.
SO WHAT HAPPENS NOW IS, YOU PUT YOUR TRASH IN SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA, ALL OF
THE DISPOSABLE TRASH YOU PUT IN A BLUE BAG, AND THEN ALL OF THE FOOD WASTE
YOU PUT IT IN A CLEAR BAG.
AND THAT CLEAR BAG YOU TAKE TO A SPECIFIED DUMPSTER AND YOU OPEN IT
UP AND YOU PUT IT IN THERE, AND THE MORE YOU PUT IN THE MORE YOU'RE
GOING TO HAVE TO PAY TO GET RID OF YOUR FOOD WASTE.
SO YOU PAY FOR IT ON THE FRONT END AND YOU ALSO PAY FOR IT ON THE BACK END.
THIS HAS SAVED THAT COUNTRY ABOUT FOUR BILLION DOLLARS THE FIRST YEAR AND
IT'S JUST THE RIGHT THING TO DO YOU KNOW, NOT THROWING FOOD AWAY, GOOD
FOOD.
AND IT ALSO HELPS YOU TO TRY TO MANAGE YOUR BUYING HABITS A LITTLE BIT.
SO, WE'RE STARTING TO SEE THAT SAME TECHNOLOGY NOW IN NEW YORK CITY AND IN
SAN FRANCISCO.
SO IT'S STARTING TO COME TO THE UNITED STATES AS WELL, TRYING TO HELP
MANAGE FOOD WASTE, AND A LOT OF PLACES WHERE THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE,
AND NOT A LOT OF PLACES TO GET RID OF FOOD WASTE.
ROB: WELL CERTAINLY GOOD FOOD FOR THOUGHT FOR A DAY THAT, OR A WEEK THAT WE DO
WASTE A WHOLE LOT OF FOOD.
ALRIGHT THANK YOU SO MUCH BRAD.
MORGAN: YOU'RE WELCOME.
ROB: WELL BRAD MORGAN IS WITH THE ANIMAL PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY,
ZOETIS, AS WELL AS SERVING AS THE PRESIDENT OF THE AMERICAN MEAT SCIENCE
ASSOCIATION.
WHEN WE RETURN, THE CONNECTION BETWEEN BEING MORE GRATEFUL THAN
WASTEFUL.