International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste | 29th September
Food is one of the basic necessities of life, that is why it is so sad how in a world where millions of people are affected by hunger, tons of edible food is wasted everyday. Globally, around 14% of food produced is lost between harvest and retail, while an estimated 17% of total global food production is wasted (11% in households, 5% in the food service and 2% in retail). Food wastage at such a large scale disrupts the efficiency of our ‘food systems’ worldwide. Besides hunger levels soaring across the world, food wastage also affects another aspect of overall human and the planet’s wellbeing – food wastage leads to the collection of waste too. Excessive generation of waste in landfills leads to greenhouse gas emissions, which contributes to climate change.
Goal Number 12 of the Sustainable Development Goals 2030, Sustainable Consumption and Production, talk about food wastage and the need to curb this malpractice everywhere. With less than a decade remaining before we must achieve the goals on the SDG Agenda, it is almost urgent that we act now! Here are some ways you can reduce food wastage at home:
Plan a Sustainable Diet
Planning your food consumption like you may plan your work is an intelligent way to reduce food wastage. If you plan purchase of food materials, meals to be cooked and so on, food wastage in general would come down considerably.
Buy Wisely
It is a very common practice that people hoard groceries and food materials. Especially with the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown in the background, people hoard food materials under the threat of lack of availability later. However, it is not only an ill-use of capital, it also adds to food wastage. Next time you go on a grocery shopping spree, plan your lists, and buy only what you need. This way, you will not only save some money but also become a part of the ‘solution’.
Avoid Throwing Out
Throwing away leftovers is one major contributor to world food wastage; and it is done very often and at a large scale at both households and food service providers. Instead, the leftover food can be reused as an ingredient for another food item, or for eating as is, later. Donating fresh leftover food can also be a wise way of reducing food wastage. Another way to reuse such leftovers can be to compost them instead of throwing them away.
Store Safely
More often than not, food that can be reused later is spoilt because of bad storing techniques. Excess chopped uncooked vegetables can be frozen so they last longer and should be used when needed. More perishable cooked food should be stored away in a refrigerator, preferably in air-tight packaging. This way, more food can be used than wasted.
Support Local Food Producers
If you buy from local food vendors, you can support the food systems indirectly. Buying from local vendors helps cut down the pollution that otherwise is done while delivering food from farther places, by road. As a bonus, you help support local small farmers and businesses of your community.
Wishes and Blessings has been working on fighting hunger in the country for years, through its flagship project, Daily Meals Programme. You can join the programme by becoming a sponsor by just paying a small amount of 1100/-. In this amount, Wishes and Blessings can feed an individual nutritious and wholesome food for a month, on your behalf! Alternatively, you can organise a ‘special treat’ at one of our centres and feel the joy in person!
About the Author
Manaswani Saxena is an enthusiastic development sector content developer. She loves to write short stories and poetry. She is a complete foodie, loves good music. With the right people, she’s also a little crazy!