Food waste is the food that is not eaten. The reasons why we have food waste are different. The waste comes from different stages of food cycle, for example, they come from production, processing, distribution, retail and food service sales, and end consumption. The amount of food waste that comes from the different stages of food production depends on the economic development of the country. In less developed countries, food waste comes mainly from the production and processing parts. For example, in India, about 21 million metric tons of grains are going to waste annually. This is the same amount of grains that Australia produces annually. In developed countries, most of the food waste is produced by households.
In the European Union, every year, 131 kg of food per person goes to waste. It produces more than 58 tons of waste annually. This amount of waste is worth around 132 billion euros. It is estimated that around 10% of the food that is produced in Europe goes to waste. Meanwhile, more than 37 million people can’t afford a proper meal every other day. Globally, the amount of food that goes to waste is even bigger. About one-third goes to waste. According to the Food Loss Index (FLI), about 14% of the food that is produced for human consumption goes to waste.
According to UNEP, in the year 2022, there was around 1.05 billion metric tons of food waste. 60% of this amount was from households, 28% from food services, and 12% from retail. In households, around 70% of the food that goes to waste is still edible. From retail, the number is even bigger. 90% of the waste is still edible. The other crazy number is that at least one billion meals in households are going to waste every day. Also in Europe, households generate the biggest amount of food waste, about 54%. Food waste is not only an ethical and economical problem, but it also reduces natural resources. By reducing food waste, we are also helping to slow global warming. In Europe, about 16% of the greenhouse gases are from the food system. And of course, with all this food that goes to waste, we could help so many people who are starving and suffering from malnutrition. It also helps to save money for farmers, companies, and households.
As already said, food waste is not just an ethical problem. It’s also an environmental one. If we don’t eat the food that is produced for consumption, we also waste the water and energy that were used to grow the crops or for the cattle, harvest, transport, and package it. If the food goes to waste, then it is usually used in landfills, compost or if it is just left to rot on the field, then it produces methane. Methane has a higher potency than carbon dioxide. We can reduce human-produced greenhouse gases by about 6–8% if we cut down on food waste. For example, in the US, the amount of greenhouse gases that are produced from food waste is equal to the emissions that are produced by 32.6 million cars. Moreover, by drying to reduce greenhouse gases, there are other co-benefits. For example, we would save drinkable water, reduce soil erosion, and benefit biodiversity. Since the human population is constantly growing, our challenge should be how to produce less food waste and make it available for everyone.
If the gases that are emitted by food waste were considered a country, then it would be in third place. The global food chain, from production to consumption, is responsible for one-third of annual emissions. Food waste is half of this number. In 2017, food waste produced 9.4 billion metric tons of CO2 emissions, which is equal to US and EU emissions combined.
It is not just the methane that causes the environmental issues. Also, the land is used for growing the food, and later, the plastic what is used for the packaging. There is also a term ‘carbon opportunity cost’. That means if the land wasn’t used for growing food, then how much carbon could it absorb if there were forests or natural grasslands. For example, cattle farms emit large amounts of carbon.
In conclusion, we all have the impact of producing less food waste. It starts already with the food producers, farmers, food manufacturers, and so on, and it ends with us consumers. Governments, food activists, and other unions have created different websites, apps, and places where they give good tips on how to produce less food waste.
As already said, everyone can have the impact of producing less food waste, and it’s not a hard thing to do. This will help you save some money and also protect the environment. For example, plan the meals. Use the leftovers to cook new food or freeze the leftovers. On the food packaging, you can find phrases like ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ and know their meanings. The ‘use by’ is about food safety; the other phrase informs us about food quality. A good tip when you eat is to use a smaller plate. You can always take more if you feel like it. The mistake people often make is that they don’t know how to store food properly. For this, check the labels or do it the same way as it is done in supermarkets. Every time you go shopping, take a shopping list with you and don’t go to the store when you are hungry. When you go out to eat, ask for the portion you are able to eat, or if you don’t finish the meal, take the leftovers with you.
The other options to reduce food waste would be food donations and animal feed.
Sources:
https://food.ec.europa.eu/safety/food-waste_en
https://food.ec.europa.eu/document/download/7143f94e-600f-4df5-acef-5b332e7e44ec_en?filename=fs_eu-actions_action_platform_key-rcmnd_en.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_loss_and_waste
https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/fight-climate-change-by-preventing-food-waste
https://www.boroume.gr/en/food-waste-in-greece
https://www.carbonbrief.org/in-depth-qa-what-food-waste-means-for-climate-change/
https://ourworldindata.org/carbon-opportunity-costs-food
