Americans are sick — much sicker than many realize. More than 100 million adults — almost half the entire adult population — have pre-diabetes or diabetes.
Centers for Disease Control
Cardiovascular disease afflicts about 122 million people in the US, causing roughly 840,000 deaths each year, or about 2,300 deaths each day.
American Heart Association
Three in four adults are overweight or obese. More Americans are sick, in other words, than are healthy.
Centers for Disease Control
A healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of many chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, and obesity. However, just 1 in 10 adults reach the 5-a-day federal recommended cups.
Centers for Disease Control
Ironically, total fruit and vegetable wastage in the US is actually more than 50% of initial production. Researchers estimate that consumers throw away around 30% (by mass) of the fresh produce they purchase.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
And in case you wondered, the resulting carbon emissions from growing, processing, packaging, transporting and marketing food that is never eaten is 4.4 billion tons of CO2 eq. per year. That’s more than the total emissions of any single country except China and the US.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations