Is throwing food away a sin?

[Newbie2]

Really? Well, it seems I’m out of the loop. I wonder if they’re in Chicago. It makes me happy to know this.

Detroit has it as well.

 

[Bookcat]

One should note…care must be taken with leftovers. Days they can be safely kept…not keeping them out of the fridge too long (I think 2 hours is one norm I have seen)…

 

[fred_conty]

Nothing that we have as stewards should be wasted, including food.

 

[RubyT]

Technically it falls under the sin of “Gluttony.”

I don’t understand how throwing away food is gluttony? If you can’t eat it right away it will spoil. It has nothing to do with being a glutton. Please help me understand your point. Thanks.

My dog gets the leftovers

 

[RubyT]

It is NOT a sin, in itself, to discard food. In fact, the “clean your plate” mentality can lead to gluttony and obesity. It actually does cause obesity, and one of the goals of some weight loss programs is to teach people NOT to clean their plates – that is, not to eat food just because it’s on the plate, but only to eat until full.

If you deliberately take more food on your plate that you know you won’t eat, then that could be purposefully wasteful and sinful. But it can be hard to accurately gauge the amount of food needed, and we are more likely, in countries such as the US, to err on the side of more, rather than less. This is not deliberate, nor is it sinful.

In many restaurants, the portion size is chosen for you, and for some people it can be too much. That’s not a sin. If you can take it home and eat it later, that’s great, but if you can’t, that’s not a sin.

I agree, forcing yourself to eat because you don’t want to be wasteful is wrong because obesity is hurting your body and that is a sin! We are also stewards of our human bodies(temple). Restaurants control the portions. It is altogether different if you are filling your own plate and then not eating it all.

 

[Catholic90]

So as I was growing up, I learned to “clean my plate” because to throw away food would be a sin. Especially since it would be, or could be, considered wasteful. (“Waste not! Want not!”)

It is NOT a sin, in itself, to discard food. In fact, the “clean your plate” mentality can lead to gluttony and obesity. It actually does cause obesity, and one of the goals of some weight loss programs is to teach people NOT to clean their plates – that is, not to eat food just because it’s on the plate, but only to eat until full.

I grew up being taught to clean your plate as well. I have struggled with weight issues my whole life. My sons were taught to eat if you are hungry, and stop when full. They are all thin as rails!

If I have food on my plate and someone in Ethiopia is going hungry, me eating all my food will not help them in any way!

My grandparents used this “logic” on me…“Kids in China are starving, so finish your potatoes!” Huh? How will that help the hungry Chinese kids?