Apropos of my discussion with Nichola Twilley about refrigerators in China, Gawker reported today that a fridge in the U.S. is, on average, many cubic feet bigger than fridges in other countries.

Some are even twice the size of your average fridge in Europe.

Not only do big refrigerators cost us more money because they take more power to cool, but they also may “encourage unhealthy eating habits,” says Gawker reporter Dan Nosowitz.

He cites a couple of studies including one that says, “families that have more food in the house eat more food.”

Another one says that “the average American throws out about 25 percent of food and beverages purchased.”