Consider twice before throwing away food waste
Mathilde Chatin tackles the global problem of food waste by investigating creative solutions, such as raising consumer awareness and making donations, as well as repurposing trash for biofertilizers and animal feed.
Nine hundred million tons. That is the amount of food that is wasted annually worldwide, according to the United Nations (UN).
According to the UN Environment Programmes’ Food Waste Index, 17% of the food that is offered to customers in restaurants, stores, and homes ends up in the trash. About 60% of that garbage originates from households. All of this adds to the stress already placed on our ecosystem, food security, and supply networks by global population growth, shifting weather patterns, and international conflict.
Food banks in the UK are begging for donations to keep up with the rising number of individuals experiencing hunger since 2014. Food security is hampered by the careless waste of our natural resources, which also damages the ecosystem.
The unsightly vegetable issue
There is a “hidden crisis” in the fruit and vegetable industry, according to recent research by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Over one-third of the approximately 3.3 million tonnes of food waste produced annually is composed of fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, a large portion of those produce items never make it past the farm gate.
Pre-harvest food waste accounts for nearly half (48%) of all food wasted on farms, according to the survey. Farmers typically leave it in fields since they don’t think it will look good enough. Roughly 50 million tonnes of agricultural produce, mostly fruits and vegetables, are thrown away annually in Europe due to size or shape errors; this implies that a third of the cultivated products never make it to store shelves. Furthermore, crops of fruits and vegetables that are deemed “ugly” might account for as much as 40% of their total loss. As a result, hundreds of tons of delicious and healthful veggies are thrown out because grocery store customers demand their produce to appear “better.” There needs to be more customer understanding of the resources required to create food. The connection between wasting those limited resources and food waste has to be better understood.
Do not waste and do not desire.
£810 is spent annually by the average UK household on food that is never consumed. Every year, 7.3 million tonnes of food and drink are thrown away from UK homes. Food waste and food service waste are dumped in landfills, where they produce methane, a gas that damages the ozone layer and causes global warming.
It is hard to envision a world in which there is no food waste. However, there are creative measures that can significantly lower it, both personally and politically, with the benefit of the environment. Meal boxing, reuse, and conscious purchasing are all constructive, individual acts that lead us in the right way.
National education
There is an immediate need for consumer education regarding the additional cost and environmental impact of refusing to purchase “ugly” veggies. Leading the way in this regard are several retailers that are pushing “odd shapes and sizes” for fruits and vegetables.
Large and modest donations
Small actions taken at the household level, like contributing extra food to a food bank, can have a big impact on the neighborhood. An increasing number of applications notify users when produce is unsold or about to expire and can be picked up for free or purchased at a significant discount. Businesses are becoming increasingly aware of the harm food waste causes to their finances, reputations, and the environment.
After the day, unsold food is given to those in need thanks to partnerships between businesses and regional charity that combat homelessness. Social entrepreneurs gather unsold food from warehouses and shops and then provide it to charitable organizations so they may prepare it for big gatherings.
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Feeding for animals
Vegetable and fruit waste can be used again as animal feed without having to be processed. Unfortunately, well-meaning but too strict safety regulations that require every food to be sorted, screened, ground, dewatered, heated, and dried before being fed to animals occasionally prohibit this. This can impede the efficient recycling of perfectly good, nutritious, but damaged vegetables. It was meant to replace the previous practices of “swill feeding” or “garbage feeding” pigs.
There is a fair amount of fiber in these foods. Given that ruminants, like sheep and pigs, can use fiber as an energy source, research has shown that this kind of food waste can be a possible feedstock. Recycling these wastes would reduce feedstock competition and the negative environmental effects of disposing of them in landfills.
fertilizers made from plants
Global fruit and vegetable waste along the supply chain is estimated to be 45 percent by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). However, materials can be recycled into useful and profitable items with a little creativity. Fruit and vegetable waste can be transformed into a natural soil conditioner via the in-vessel composting process. Food waste is fed into processors to create a high-nutrient, dependable, and sustainable fertilizer. These bio-fertilizers are a highly competitive, safe, and profitable product in addition to renewable energy due to their comparatively cheap manufacturing costs.
Our economy, resources, and ecology are all strained by the food system we now have. Every time we reduce food waste—by giving away, composting, or finding new uses for leftover food—we benefit the environment, our local communities, and save money and fuel. Food chain players have a responsibility to inform consumers about the dangers of food waste and how to lessen its effects. In a similar vein, companies that address food waste will gain from assistance in telling stakeholders about their contributions.