| Why is Tackling Food Waste Important
By Jamila Dahiru, No Hunger Initiatives Food Waste Behavioural Fellow. |
The global food waste problem is a serious and urgent one. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation [FAO], an estimated 1.6 billion tonnes of food; a third of all food produced globally is lost or wasted every year. This volume of waste costs the global economy approximately $960 billion. While food is wasted on this massive scale, a 2017 study estimated that close to a billion people go hungry around the world. According to the FAO, saving even one-fourth of the food that is wasted worldwide is enough to feel 870 million hungry people worldwide. This inefficiency in the global food supply system has considerable social, economic, and environmental impacts.
Think about the tomato for a second. A farmer spends his time and resources (consider the fuel used up by tractors or physical exertions from manual labour) to till the land. He then waters his crop, adds fertilizer and cares for it till it reaches maturity. Harvest time means extra hands to gather the produce and prepare them for transport to the marketplace. Sometimes the tomatoes spoil before they get to the market due to lack of good cold storage. Bad roads could also make it so that the tomatoes do not get there in time. Other times, these tomatoes are not used up in time or stored properly and are thrown away at home. This wasted tomato means a loss in all the land, energy, water, and material resources that was involved in its production, storage, transportation, in addition to the avoidable greenhouse emissions that will arise from management of its waste. This scenario is not restricted to only the tomato. Any food can go through this process and once wasted or thrown away, it means a huge waste in resources.
However, the story is not all doom and gloom. While somethings may be out of the control of the consumer, we can make a conscious effort to play a part in reducing the burden created by wasted food. We can make the choice to redistribute our excess food, purchase or serve smaller portions of food, learn to make effective use of leftovers, or learn tips and tricks to extend the shelf-life of foods. This will help us save money and at the same time help to feed families that are in need.
Do you agree that tackling food waste is important?
Sources:
Diaz-Ruiz, R., Costa-Font, M. & Gil, J. M. (2018). Moving ahead from food-related behaviours: an alternative approach to understand household food waste generation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 172, 1140-1151. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.10.148
Hanson, C., & Mitchell, P. (2017). The business case for reducing food loss and waste. Retrieved from http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/Report_The%20Business%20Case%20for%20Reducing%20Food%20Loss%20and%20Waste.pdf
Heilinger K. (2017). Food waste. Retrieved from https://wastesend.com/food-waste-2/
Mourad, M. (2016). Recycling, recovering, and preventing “food waste”: competing solutions for food systems sustainability in the United States and France. Journal of Cleaner Production, 126. 461-477