Used both as a verb and as a noun, it refers to all surplus food. The term has fallen out of favor with composters, who prefer to view this material as a resource rather than as waste material.
food that is discarded (as from a kitchen)
Food organics from households or industry including food processing waste, out-of-date or off-specification food, meat, fruit and vegetable scraps. Also includes food organics from the commercial sector i.e. cafeteria waste. Excludes liquid wastes.
residual food from residences, institutions or commercial facilities, unused portions of fruit, animal or vegetable material resulting from food production.
Uneaten food and food preparation wastes from residences and commercial establishments such as grocery stores, restaurants, and produce stands, institutional cafeterias and kitchens, and industrial sources like employee lunchrooms.
Food waste (American English: garbage http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/garbage) is any form of biodegradable waste that was originally intended for consumption. It will typically consist of vegetable scraps, meat scraps and other discards from the kitchen. There is the potential to recycle this waste for home composting or industrial composting & anaerobic digestion.
