In recent times, Food wastage has become a serious concern in our society. It has become a regular habit for all of us to throw away unwanted foods directly into garbage. Unfortunately this practice has increased the wastage globally to a larger extent and has to be stopped immediately. The problem is bigger than we think. We rarely think about the hardships and various process involved in the cultivation of crops, before wasting food. There are many individuals in the world who couldn't afford to make a meal a day. Before we waste any food, we need to pause and think about peoples who are hungry around the world without proper food and ensure that we don't waste any food. Just one quarter of all wasted food could feed the 795 million undernourished people around the world who suffer from hunger.
India is home to the largest undernourished and hungry population in the world.
Facts about hunger in India
India can effectively use technology to script a new chapter in prevention of food wastage. The Government can speed up research in Nano technology with the help of which eco-friendly and healthy food preservation applications can be invented that are helpful in preserving food for longer duration and keeping farm produce fresh
In addition to these efforts, the Government must make it mandatory for the food retailers across the country to adopt technology standards that allow incentives for the customer to purchase perishable products that are approaching their expiration dates. This will help reduce food wastage, maximises grocery retailer revenue, and effectively reduces the global carbon footprint.
The World Economic Forum warns that food shortages represent one of the biggest risks to global stability over the next decade as countries are increasingly affected by climate change. Even though the world produces enough food to feed twice the world’s present population, food wastage is ironically behind the billions of people who are malnourished. It is time to recognise this colossal scale of waste and take appropriate action that not only benefits humanity but the environment as well
The amount of food we throw away is a waste of resources. Just think about all the energy, water and packaging used in food production, transportation and storage. This all goes to waste when we throw away perfectly good food. So we need to think before we waste the food and create awareness among every individuals in our society.
Recently, a food waste supermarket has been opened in Pudsey, near Leeds, UK. Customers are invited to shop for food thrown out by supermarkets and other businesses. The food is priced on a "pay as you feel" basis and has already helped desperate families struggling to feed their children. In Denmark, a charity organization named Wefood, sells produce at prices 30 to 50 per cent lower than they would normally cost, has enjoyed such tremendous popularity in Copenhagen that it has established a second location, this time in a trendy neighbourhood called Nørrebro, opening its doors in November 2016. Selling expired food is legal in Denmark as long as it is clearly advertised and there is no immediate danger to consuming it. Every year more than 700,000 tonnes of food are wasted in Denmark. After being open just six months, WeFood has received over 40 tonnes of food that would have otherwise been destroyed. Earlier this year, France has passed a law banning supermarkets from throwing away or spoiling unsold food.
When you're looking for it, you see food waste everywhere-at restaurants, in large portions and even in your own refrigerator. If more and more people recognize their own food waste, we can take a bite out of this problem. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that, each year, one-third of all food produced for human consumption in the world (around 1.3 billion tons) is lost or wasted. This includes 45% of all fruit and vegetables, 35% of fish and seafood, 30% of cereals, 20% of dairy products and 20% of meat.
Looking into why food gets wasted, the following are more specific reasons that have been identified.
Leftovers - this is usually because too much food has been prepared or put on the plate.
Solution
Regardless of the reason why you throw out food, you bought it and now it is costing you to throw it out. So, when you are throwing out food, make a note of the reasons for your food waste and see if there are small changes that you can make to reduce this waste.
Sometimes kids want things from the supermarket that they don't need but just want to eat. Kids may have a hard time understanding what it takes to earn and pay for food, which can result in taking it for granted. Setting up rules where kids need to use their allowance to pay for foods can help them realize the cost of wasting something so essential for others.
Kids can also learn about food waste by practicing donating to hungry people regularly.
Composting is another way to reuse food scraps. Even if you're not a gardener yourself, you could donate your compost 'riches' to a neighbour who could use it.
This way the kids can learn what should and should not go in the garbage and when our kids learn to adapt to today's food waste no-nos, they could pave the way for a future.
Among all evils that we experience in this world, there is one evil where each of us are party to it and we inadvertently are contributing to the cause of the evil. It is food wastage, we do waste certain amount of food every day in our lives be it in our home or offices or hotels, we contribute regularly to some amount of food wastage. Irony is that we think it is negligible without even realizing the negative impact that each of us are cause.
We are born and raised in a society were food is considered sacred and wasting it is a sin. Our parents have raised us castigating us for wasting food – the phrase 'wasting food is a bad habit' still echoes in my ears. May be majority of our parent's generation have to suffer to offer us a pretty decent living and may be that generation had also strong roots with agrarian society that they realize the value of food.
Our earlier generations have struggled to make us live better, while some of us are living better there are still a wide majority struggling to meet their ends. The CSR journal has stated that 40% of the produce is getting wasted, that is a lot and imagine how many needy people can we feed.
A small step on our side can curb the evil of food wastage. So let us all take a moment to Pledge that we will never contribute to food wastage.
Food Wastage is an issue that has a global scale, which needs to be addressed immediately. We all should try to follow the motto of SAVE FOOD, which is an initiative to reduce food loss and wastage in order to improve the food security for our community as well as to conserve resources. This can only be accomplished by generating awareness of this problem among the people and reassure them not to waste food.
The very idea of not to waste food should be inculcated in the minds of children through their parents. The parents are compelled to give a good role model to their children. They should not show their love by piling up the plates of their children with excess of food, which they cannot eat and ultimately will go waste. Children should be advised not to throw food in to the garbage bin and instead they can give it to the needy. If they are trained in such a way, there may not be food wastage in future. They should get the idea that excess food from restaurants and household parties will not be dumped into garbage bins and would reach the poor and needy.
Children should be instructed that wasting food should be considered as one of the greatest crime against humanity and they should be aware that million people around the world are starving and many are dying of malnutrition. The World Economic Forum warns that food shortages represent one of the biggest risks to global stability over the next decade as countries are increasingly affected by climate change. Even though the world produces enough food to feed twice the world's present population, food wastage is ironically behind the billions of people who are starving. It is high time to realize this massive scale of food waste and take appropriate action to curb this, which not only benefits humanity but also the environment.
Food Wastage is a serious problem and all of us should pledge not to waste food to control this menace.
Public Awareness - Understanding how our food is grown and the difficulties our farmers endure helps us appreciate it more. Cooking is a life skill that all of us should strive to learn. If I were to spend few hours in the kitchen cooking up a delicious dinner, I will definitely think twice before I waste any food. It helps me appreciate the effort that goes into the entire cycle right from cultivation to preparation. I will think twice before I order too much food at a restaurant.
Gardening and cooking can be subjects in our school curriculum. If we can have classes for physical exercise and soft skills, why not gardening and cooking which are skills that will help us all through our lives?
One other area of improvement will be the involvement of general public in recycling. In a country like ours where there is no clear policy or infrastructure in place for recycling, it is very difficult to make general public understand the importance of recycling. Engaging the communities and school children will definitely help them understand the problems of food waste and landfill management. At the end of the day a more cognizant individual will be more willing to make a difference through his actions.
Social Change - With respect to food wastage, we need to understand that small changes that make can have a tremendous impact on the well-being of the society. I am sure we have all read news reports of struggling families giving up their children for money because they cannot put food on the table even once a day and instances of children dying due to malnourishment. Increased crime rates among families living in poverty is well documented. A co-ordinated effort by general public, caterers and restaurateurs can help reduce the impact of the problem.
This need not require huge infrastructure or logistics to work. Families can look out for vulnerable people in the neighbourhood who are struggling for food. Caterers and restaurateurs can work with orphanages, schools and old age homes. Wedding and party venues can also contribute towards this. Considering the amount of food that is leftover in our wedding venues, scores of people can be fed by distributing the leftovers.
Government regulations - Governments all over the world can take a leaf out of the French Government's decision to stop supermarkets from throwing away food that is expired. Supermarkets are required to donate food nearing the expiry date to charitable institutions. Charities will help donate this food to the needy who cannot afford to buy food. Considering the increasing number of people all over the work who cannot afford to buy good, this is god-sent indeed. If implemented successfully, this helps reduce multiple problems of landfill, malnutrition and crime.
While some of the above take time to implement, what we can do is to work with like-minded individuals and strive towards making a difference in our neighbourhood. Involve your family members, friends and children in the neighbourhood who are interested in the same. It will definitely sow the seeds for a bigger change in the future.
Food wastage, just like countless other issues that affect our environment is often pushed to the side lines. It occupies our mind for a fleeting second before being consumed by other more pressing issues. We all are guilty of contributing towards it – homes, roadside eateries, restaurants, marriage/party venues, caterers etc. Food that is revered by most of us when hungry turns into a problem of plenty otherwise. Food waste disposed in landfills leads to more production of methane which in turn leads to climate change. Reducing carbon footprint is something that most governments and industries strive for. We are becoming more aware of how our actions affect the environment and ways to reduce the impact. Small changes in the way we buy food, consume and recycle can have a huge impact all over.
Buying local - Buying food grown locally means fresher produce and more healthy food. While we cannot do this for all our needs - there is only so much you can produce locally - try to go local whenever possible. This helps reduce our carbon footprint and helps farmers and small traders to a great extent. Supermarkets and online stores often provide better prices, but the produce is refrigerated and transported across long distances.
Weddings, canteens, hotels, social and family functions, general households spew out so much food. We can come out with lot of estimates / ranking wherein India stands, like it is estimated that India wastes more food than what UK consumes. We may then argue on the how skewed this can be in terms of population of India, however it is alarming as our food depots, garbage bins carries sufficient proof to prove it. We all can play a role at our level to contain the food wastage :
Do not forget to take the I PLEDGE with the principle in mind to Love Food, Hate Waste!