Introduction
The United States wastes approximately 40% of the food supply on an annual basis.1 To put the matter into perspective, the nation nearly consumes half of the food that is generated and squanders the other half each year. Steadily wasting the bulk of food production is a major concern and deserves to be a prioritized issue due to the implications of food waste. Food waste is not only indicative of the concerning level of discarded food, but it also leads to greenhouse gas emissions that spur global climate change, splurges precious water, land, and labor resources, and engenders a missed opportunity to combat food insecurity across the entire country.2 As a result, the issue of food waste demands instant mitigation. The problem is indeed extensive since food waste is generated throughout all levels of consumption, yet it can be properly addressed by focusing on the sectors of consumption that are largely contributing to the issue. One of these sectors of consumption is restaurants. The food distributors produce about 22 to 33 billion pounds of food waste each year, which is a large portion of all the food wasted by the United States on an annual basis.3 Due to the food waste procured by restaurants, focusing on the particular level of food distribution from the perspective of policy will effectively initiate the mitigation of food waste and its resulting consequences. The implemented policy can take the form of capacity builders, system changes, and enhanced inducements.
References
1 U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Food Loss and Waste, https://www.fda.gov/food/consumers/food-loss-and-waste (Feb. 23, 2021).
2 Move for Hunger, About Food Waste, https://moveforhunger.org/food-waste (2021).
3 FoodPrint, The Problem of Food Waste, https://foodprint.org/issues/the-problem-of-food-waste/ (2021).
Hi everyone! Thank you so much for looking over my introductory paragraph to my issue brief! I do have a couple questions that I would like to ask you guys about my project.
(1) Should I mention my experience as a fast food chain employee in the introduction or in a body paragraph?
(2) Should I elaborate on the implications of food waste, such as greenhouse gas emissions, in a body paragraph?
Thanks again!
I don’t think you need to mention your experience as a fast food worker. I am not sure if personally connection to the topic is that important in the issue brief, but if you were to include it, I guess the introduction would be the best place to do so. However, I think it would be out of place.
I don’t think you need to elaborate on the implications of food waste, other than maybe following my suggestions found in question #2 below.
1). Comment on the title. How does it offer a way forward on the issue? Does it hint at or echo the paper’s thesis? Make suggestions.
-I think you have a great title. However, I would try to include more specific ways that you look to discuss combating food waste. You discuss implementing new policy in the title, but I think you would benefit from identifying that new policy.
2). Does this piece’s title and introduction respond to an exigence? Does it make the issue pressing or connect to other pressing needs and issues? Make suggestions.
-Your intro definitely makes it clear that food waste is a problem and thus needs to be solved. I don’t think you need to change it that much, but I think you might want to add reasons for why it should be combated NOW rather than in a year or two. Is there a tipping point or a time when it’ll be too late to reverse the effects of global warming caused by food waste?
3). Comment on the thesis. Does it set up a clear argumentative claim? Is it advancing a specific policy or practice? Can you imagine how the rest of the argument will unfold?
-You have a solid thesis outlining the methods chosen for reform, and I like that they were taken directly from the reading. However, you may want to elaborate on what those are. For example, you mention system changes. But what system change, specifically?
I agree with Billy about your first question. The intro seems the best place to include that info, but it’s not necessary. For your second question, I think some specifics would help build exigence to include the implications of food waste.
1). Comment on the title. How does it offer a way forward on the issue? Does it hint at or echo the paper’s thesis? Make suggestions.
Your title is fitting, but it is a little broad and lengthy (mine is pretty lengthy too so don’t worry). It might be better to add a specific in the title or find a way to make it sound catchy.
2). Does this piece’s title and introduction respond to an exigence? Does it make the issue pressing or connect to other pressing needs and issues? Make suggestions.
Similar to my comment earlier, I think your introduction would benefit from some specifics as to how food waste impacts climate change, etc. However, by bringing climate change into your brief, that in itself adds a sense of urgency since it’s a popular topic.
3). Comment on the thesis. Does it set up a clear argumentative claim? Is it advancing a specific policy or practice? Can you imagine how the rest of the argument will unfold?
I think you have a great basis for a thesis, but it’s almost too broad. I like how you stated what kind of policy can be implemented.
For your title, I agree with Haven. I think it is a little too lengthy and hard to fully comprehend in one glance. I think it will be easier to think of a shorter and catchier title once you get the specifics of your topic down. This brings me to my next point (and one that others have mentioned previously). I think your thesis is also a little too broad. I am not sure what restaurants you are targeting (dine-in, fast food, local, all of them- probably a little too specific tbh but I am including it just to show there are lots of options haha), where these restaurants are (I am assuming your focus are restaurants in America, so I would make sure that is more clear or if you have a specific town in mind), and who you are targeting (you are talking about policy changes… so would this have to deal with the US government? Managers? I am not sure who is in charge of making policy changes for specific restaurants, so I would make that more clear). Lastly, I think your intro does a great job of showing the issue we have with food waste and why more needs to be done. I think, as Billy said, it can’t hurt to add after “demands instant mitigation” something about or else we won’t be able to reverse the effects or something to make it even more urgent. But overall, love your topic and I am always excited to see what you come up with!