Apart from "wining and dining raccoons," when we throw out food, we're not only adding to landfills that emit dangerous methane gases into the atmosphere, but also we're supporting a system that deprives people who live in food-insecure households of needed nutrition.
On a recent episode of his show Last Week Tonight, comedian and social commentator John Oliver examines the reasons why 40 percent of the food produced in America is never eaten—and advocates for legislation that incentivizes brands to donate their extra food to those who need it.