Our Food Waste Affects the Food System

About one-third of the food produced globally is wasted or disposed, accounting for about 1.3 billion tonnes of food waste². Some of these produces are thrown away even before they are processed to be sold in supermarkets and restaurants, as they are considered “ugly” and unattractive to consumers.

In 2017, a published report stated that the sales of these “ugly” vegetables have grown in recent years but there is still a huge percentage of food wasted based on cosmetic grounds alone³.

After we throw away one-third of the food produced due to cosmetic reasons, consumer-approved food is not stored properly. In India, about twenty-one million metric tonnes of wheat is left to rot away every year as they are not stored in proper conditions4.

The major user of global freshwater is agriculture. To support additional food production, a greater water supply is also required to provide sufficient nutrients for the growth of these foods. Dr Charlotte de Fraiture, a researcher from the International Water Management Institute, mentioned that about half of the water used to grow food globally is either lost or wasted5.

Therefore, increasing food waste equates to increasing water waste. For example, India is expected to use more than 230 cubic kilometres of freshwater yearly, according to the United Nations, and this itself is enough to supply drinking water to 100 million people in a year4.

Many campaigns and awareness programmes operate in different parts of the world – though their success can only be determined by the people exposed to it.  The SAVE FOOD initiative by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and Messe Düsseldorf GmbH was started to combat global food waste².

The Scottish government has also launched a new advertising campaign, entitled Food Gone Bad, to help raise awareness of the impact food waste has on climate change and how to reduce it. Electrolux, a Swedish home appliance company, recently launched a campaign called the Social Food Swap where employees are encouraged to exchange food items in the office.

The National Environment Agency of Singapore, NEA, has also launched a campaign to motivate consumers to “order only what they can finish, ask for less rice and noodles and say no to side dishes that they will not consume” in restaurants12. This helps to build a better habit for consumers to start wasting less food when they eat out.

What can you do as an individual? 

1. Make conscious choices. You can reduce waste in your fridge, by buying food more carefully. Try shopping lists, meal planning and trying new recipes to finish the food in your fridge.
2. Ugly Fruits and Vegetables are totally fine! Plus, they are often cheaper too.
3. Pack take-home containers for parties. We all have those party events where we order too much food just so that there will be more than enough for everyone. This is where we can contribute by repacking the leftover food and giving them out to the guests to bring home and this could save them from preparing another day’s meal, wasting more ingredients.
4. Share extra food. Mobile applications, such as OLIO, which enables participants to share their food items with people around their neighbourhood. These shared food items may be those that may not be consumed and end up being thrown away, or even fresh produce from one’s garden.

All in all, every human being has the power to protect the Earth. Let’s do it together!

How about starting with your very own reduce food waste challenge? These two roommates gave it their best try! Watch here.