We hear about food waste being an issue all the time. It’s so bad, that 1/3 of the World’s food is thrown out or lost every year. You may think it is just food that is expired or moldy, but that isn’t the case. A lot of the food that gets thrown out is perfectly fine to eat. Maybe it is past expiration, but not bad or it could be that the food is misshaped or has a few imperfections. This is all food that could still be consumed, but is instead thrown in the dumpster by stores and consumers. There are a number of organizations and people out there that are doing their best to bring awareness to the issue of food waste, but it does continue to be a major problem. One New York City photographer decided to add her art to the awareness mix. She went through dumpsters in Brooklyn and Harlem to find food that had been thrown out, but was still beautiful. Photographer Aliza Eliazarov then took the food and modeled in the style of 17th century still lives to photograph its beauty. The dumpster food shines in a way that would make anyone hungry and want to eat the food in the photos. In fact, all the food in the photos was consumed after the shoot, to ensure it didn’t once again go to waste. What are you doing to eliminate food waste in our country? It can be as simple as eating all the food in your fridge before it expires. Do a quick search and you will find things you can do at home and in your community to ensure that our country consumes food, instead of throwing it away.
To demonstrate just how delectable thrown out food can be, photographer Aliza Eliazarov set out to take pictures of fruits, vegetables and other items in dumpsters around Brooklyn and Harlem, New York. Often, edible foods are discarded because there’s confusion surrounding the expiration dates or they don’t meet the industry’s “beauty standards.”