Why did Jesus collect food after feeding 5,000 people?

John 6:12: "When they were full, Jesus said to his disciples, 'Gather up the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.' " Pastor's Christian Writer Jason. Jayson D. Bradley ; Since these foods are miraculously concocted, why worry about any leftovers? Jesus could perform miracles again at any time, but he did not despise the food.

Discarding food when the surface is not attractive

Bradley pointed out that half of the food in the United States is wasted, and organic waste is the second highest proportion of landfills and a major culprit of greenhouse gases. Although most people are against wasting food, why are there so many?

In the 1960s, Americans wasted 12.2 million tons of food, which grew to 35 million tons in 2012. One big reason is that Americans hate things that don't look appealing, and they'd rather buy a waxed, perfect-looking apple than an imperfect organic apple. According to a report by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), 30 percent of the prunes and pears in California's post-harvest crop are discarded simply because of poor appearance. After the farmers are eliminated, the merchants will eliminate more agricultural products that do not seem to attract consumers. Doug Rauch, the former CEO of Trader Joe's in the US, told The Atlantic: "Merchants routinely throw away produce that is not in good shape or has slight imperfections."

In a 2016 survey by the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic, it was revealed that more than one-third of respondents would discard uneaten products based on their tasting or selling dates,84 % admitted to doing so occasionally. In fact, the expiration date is to protect the company brand, not the consumer. Statistics show that the average American household wastes more than $475 each year by discarding expired food.

Americans spend relatively less money on food than people in other countries in the world, and the average American family spends only about 6% of their income on food, compared to other countries such as Egypt (43%) or Pakistan (Nearly half of income), the disparity is staggering, and this has a very negative impact on the way the United States views food waste.

If you look at the overall food production, marketing and consumption system from a cultural perspective, you will know where to improve. In fact, just a small adjustment to agricultural subsidies can significantly affect the supply side, bringing about amazing and positive changes to the US and international food systems. But allowances cost a lot of money, and the chance of change is slim. But as a consumer, you can make the following changes to reduce food waste:

Eight principles to reduce food waste:

1. Make a meal plan. Many ingredients are wasted due to outside meals.

2. What to eat according to the ingredients? If you're buying coriander, plan to use it in your next cooking as well, and make sure you use up the ingredients before they go bad.

3. Check the refrigerator and storage cabinet before buying vegetables to avoid repeating the purchase of unnecessary food.

4. Make a list of the food in the refrigerator to avoid frostbite and damage to the food.

5. Avoid buying in bulk, eat what you buy to save money.

6. Remember to reserve time to prepare meals when you go out shopping. In addition to improper storage, many foods take time to prepare when they want to eat, which can also lead to waste.

7. Handle and refrigerate perishable foods for later cooking.

8. Choose to share when eating out, many restaurants offer too many portions.

After Jesus had fed 5,000 people, he commanded his disciples to collect the rest of the food, whether it was a supernatural supply or not, because all food is a supernatural gift from God and the Universe.

God Bless You!❤️🙏