The following is a brief introduction to the topic:
People around the world waste food every day, often without realizing what they are doing. Our daily food habits are costly, whether we throw away leftovers or let fruits rot in our fridges. The true cost of food waste is much higher than what we can see in our trash. This waste is damaging to our environment, accelerates climate change, and wastes precious planet resources.
This article examines the impact of our daily food habits on the Earth.
What is food waste?
Food waste is edible food that’s thrown away or lost in various places along the supply chain, including on farms, during transport, in stores and at home. Some waste is inevitable, but a majority of it can be prevented. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, globally, about one-third of all food produced – roughly 1.3 billion tonnes – is wasted each year.
Wasted Food and the Environmental Cost
1. Wasted Resources
When food is wasted, all the resources used to produce it – land, water, energy, labour and money – are also wasted. As an example:
- It takes 1,000 Liters of water for just one litre of milk.
- The production and transportation of food require massive amounts of fossil energy and packaging materials.
2. Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Food waste that decomposes in landfills releases Methane. This is a powerful greenhouse gas 25 times stronger than carbon dioxide. About 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions are due to food waste. This is more than the total emissions of air travel.
3. Deforestation and Land Degradation
Forests are cleared to meet the global demand for food. When the food produced on this land is wasted, it leads to unnecessary forest destruction as well as loss of biodiversity.
Food Waste is a result of everyday habits.
- Bulk purchases without finishing perishables
- Overcooking and serving large portions of food that end up in the garbage
- Ignoring leftovers and letting them spoil
- Tossing food due to misunderstood dates such as “best before”, “sell by”, or “best if used.”
- Rejecting “imperfected” fruits and vegetables which are still nutritious
The cumulative effect of these small habits is a major problem.
What We Can Do to Reduce Food Waste
Everybody can contribute to the solution. Here are some effective ways to reduce food waste and protect the environment.
- Make a meal plan, and use a shopping list to prevent overbuying
- How to store food correctly so that it stays fresher for longer
- Trust your senses and understand the expiration dates on products
- Reuse leftovers in creative ways to create new meals
- Compost your food scraps rather than sending them to landfills
Supporting local food rescue groups or food banks can also help divert excess food from being wasted to those in need.
The conclusion of the article is:
It’s not just throwing out food that is edible but also wasting all the resources, energy, and labour used to produce it. It’s about damaging ecosystems, speeding up climate change and ignoring that millions of people are hungry every day.
We can contribute to a more sustainable and healthier planet by changing our eating habits in even small ways.
