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Fruit and Vegetables Make Up 39 Per Cent of Food Waste in the US
Fruits and vegetables account for 39 per cent of all wasted food in the United States . They may be healthy , but they ’ re also the food most likely to wasted . At the other end of the spectrum , snacks and condiments account for only three per cent of wasted food . Overall , a study by the National Resources Defense Council suggests that Americans throw out up to $ 218 billion worth of food each year . The study reported that “ smaller households waste more food per capita ; as household size increases , per capita total food waste generation decreases .” Regardless of household size , “ 76 per cent of our survey respondents indicated they believe they throw out less food than the average American .” There are many shifting trends in food consumption . Last year , for the first time ever , Americans spent more money buying food in restaurants and bars than they did on groceries .
— newsmax . com
Microbiome Transplants Provide Disease Resistance in Critically Endangered Hawaiian Plant
Transplanting wild microbes from healthy related plants can make a native Hawaiian plant healthier and likelier to survive in the wild according to new research from The Amend Laboratory in the University of Hawai ’ i at Manoa ( UHM ) botany department and the O ’ ahu Army Natural Resources Program ( OANRP ). Until now , the species had been driven to extinction in the wild and only survived in managed greenhouses under heavy doses of fungicide . The plant , Phyllostegia kaalaensis , is in the mint family and only grew in the Waianae mountain range in West Oahu . It is listed as critically endangered , and from 2002 until now , has only existed in two greenhouses on O ’ ahu , one managed by the State of Hawai ’ i and one by the US Army . The major threats to its survival in the wild are habitat loss , invasive animals like pigs and rats , and diseases . In fact , one powdery mildew fungus does so much damage to these fragile plants that , even in a greenhouse , they require monthly fungicide treatments .
— phys . org
MSU Launches Partnership for Urban Agriculture in Detroit
A Detroit neighborhood will host Michigan State University ’ s first urban food research center , developing solutions to economic and nutritional challenges unique in urban environments . The MSU Detroit Partnership for Food , Learning , and Innovation will break ground during the first half of 2018 at the site of the former Houghton Elementary School in the Riverdale neighborhood , near Brightmoor . Urban-focused research areas envisioned for the center include soil sampling and pollution cleanup , pest and crop disease management , forestry , innovative growing systems , and community food systems development . “ This research and extension center grew from years of discussions with Detroit leaders and residents . It ’ s an exciting new milestone after 100 years of Michigan State service in the community ,” says MSU President Lou Anna K . Simon . “ Food production is an increasingly urban global challenge and Detroit has the potential to be the kind of innovator in food systems that it ’ s long been for automobiles .”
— fox47news . com
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