Waste not, not want not. The scandal of food waste – and how we can stop it Guardian Julian Baggini 8 Oct 2024 Attitudes towards waste are very different in industrialised nations. The United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) estimates that 17% of total global food production is wasted and around the same amount lost, meaning that around a third of food produced is not consumed. The global average for household waste is 74kg per person annually, and this figure is broadly similar for lower-, middle- and high-income countries. In addition to food waste, there is also food loss: crop and livestock commodities destined for human consumption which are discarded before entering the retail sector. This could be because of failure to harvest, poor storage, deterioration in transport, or simply being left to rot because there is no buyer. Over recent decades, food waste and loss has become more of a salient moral issue across the world. One of the UN’s sustainable development goals is to “halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels”, along with the less specific aim of “reducing food losses along production and supply chains”. Many believe reducing waste is essential for feeding the world. For example, the World Resources Institute opens its report into food waste and loss by asking “How is the world going to feed nearly 10 billion people?”, and argues that halving food waste “would close the gap between food needed in 2050 and food available in 2010 by more than 20%”. However, this framing is questionable. Back in 1961, the world produced fewer than 2,200 calories per person a day, barely enough to cover the needs of its men and women, who on average need about 2,500 and 2,000 calories a day, respectively. By 2020, the world was producing much more food than its inhabitants eat: nearly 3,000 calories per person a day. Even with the quantities that we waste, there is enough food in the world to feed everyone. Distribution and affordability are greater obstacles to good nutrition. But although hunger is not the problem now, it soon could be.
With the global population still rising, and climate breakdown and geopolitical instability already disrupting agriculture worldwide, in order to avert starvation, it could soon become imperative that we make as much use of what we produce as possible. At the moment, the greatest impact of food waste is on the climate crisis. Unep estimates that 8% to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions are associated with food that is not consumed. As it says: “If food loss and waste were a country, it would be the third biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions.” In poorer countries it increases food insecurity and everywhere it adds to biodiversity loss, because a lot of land is turned over to cultivation without it ultimately feeding anyone. Every informed observer agrees that food waste and loss must be reduced. But can we do it? At the moment, the greatest impact of food waste is on the climate crisis. Unep estimates that 8% to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions are associated with food that is not consumed. As it says: “If food loss and waste were a country, it would be the third biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions.” In poorer countries it increases food insecurity and everywhere it adds to biodiversity loss, because a lot of land is turned over to cultivation without it ultimately feeding anyone. Every informed observer agrees that food waste and loss must be reduced. But can we do it?
Once food reaches homes, waste is often the result of problems of inadequate management practices, skills and knowledge. Many households find themselves disposing of the contents of a bag or box found in the back of a cupboard after the best-before date has expired. Dates on packs are very conservative, and if dried products like rice or pasta are stored properly – dry and in airtight containers – it can last long after the pack date. But if you are not confident in knowing the signs of mould (discoloration, visible growth, a rancid or otherwise bad smell), it can feel risky to cook it.......read on- there's much more https://www.theguardian.com/