Hello, I'm Monica Reinable and you're listening to the Nutrition Diva podcast Welcome.

My friend Gary writes, I've been seeing ads for products that claim to absorb ethylene,

which allows produce to last longer.

Do these products work?

Would baking soda or activated charcoal do the same thing?

I think we've all had the disheartening experience of having to throw away expensive fruits and

vegetables because we didn't use them up quickly enough.

No one likes to waste money, of course, but there's even more at stake with food waste.

We throw away a shocking percentage of the food that we produce, which is especially tragic

when you consider how many people around the world experience hunger on a daily basis.

Hunger and food insecurity is not just an issue in developing nations.

Here in the United States, the richest nation in the world were then 10% of households

typically struggle to put food on the table.

And that number has increased by 66% just since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Right now, 50 million Americans, including 17 million children, do not have enough

to eat on a regular basis.

No matter where you live, if you are lucky enough, as I have been, to have weathered this

year-long crisis without worrying about whether you'd be able to feed yourself and your family,

perhaps you will join me in donating to your local food bank or an organization like

feedingamerica.org.

And if you or someone you know is experiencing hunger or food insecurity, you don't have

to go it alone.

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