The New York Times Week in Review section yesterday (May 18, 2008) carried an article of great familiarity and great alarm. Americans - that would be me and most likely you - waste an estimated 27% of food available for consumption in this country. That translated into 96.4 billion pounds of food back in 1995 (the last time the Dept of Agriculture undertook a study of such an important yet overlooked area of consumption). Statistically, that meant that each proverbial family of four threw out 122 pounds of food each MONTH. Good food, bad food, spoiled food, untouched food.

This at the same time that food prices are soaring and food riots are bursting out all over the world. One thing is for certain, if gasoline prices keep rising, so will food prices all over the world.

But even if the costs weren’t going up, the disparity and unfairness between feast in one country, or one neighorhood, or one household, and famine in another is enough to warrant our full attention.