Even when I ate meat, I wouldn't buy a whole ham. What the heck am I going to do with a whole ham?? I literally do not have the freezer space for this. I've never had children, and have only been in a house with one other human.

That's a lot of food waste. Heck, I sometimes lament that I can't buy smaller amounts of spinach because I hate seeing half the bag go to waste.And I'll add that this has nothing to do with cooking or not cooking: I like to cook, and do so most days.

That packaging keeps food waste down because it breaks things into smaller portions - not to mention that many food places seal them in ways to make them last longer (example being adding a mix of gasses to help it not oxidize).