MEASURES TO REDUCE FOOD WASTAGE
“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” ...
It's absolutely true that today's wastage is tomorrow's shortage as the resources are scarce and the demand is in abundance.
Living in the 21st century with a total world population of 753 crores, we need to cope up with the ever increasing problem of food waste.
Food waste is food that is discarded or lost uneaten. In poor countries, most of the food waste is on the farm or on its way to market but a very little is thrown out by the consumers, after all it’s way too precious.
But in wealthy countries, especially in the United States and Canada, around 40 percent of wasted food is thrown out by consumers. Thus we can even say that food waste is a glaring measure of inequality.
Globally, we throw out about 1.3 billion tons of food a year, or a third of all the food that we grow.
For example if we see in India, some statistics show that India wastes as much food as whole of the United Kingdom consumes. If we use all the food wasted in weddings, canteens, hotels, family functions and other occasions in India for someone in need, it would help him survive with a healthy appetite which he or she is not getting because of their economic status.
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| Food wastage- A major problem that requires an urgent solution |
Food waste is a very serious problem in India which requires an urgent call for measures from the Government and people of this country alike. Some measures that the government needs to take include containing wastage in transportation, improving storage facilities (the cold storage chain is 50% less than required and needs to be brought up to world standards), food processing, etc. All these measures should be implemented quickly so that food is saved and wasted less to feed more.
While you may not be able to reduce food loss during production, you can certainly reduce food wastage at your personal level. Every step taken in the right direction counts.
Here’s what one can do on a more personal level to contain the food wastage:
1. Plan out your meal and make your shopping list to determine what you actually need for the week. About 20% of what we buy in urban India ends up being thrown away. If you make a precise list of your family’s weekly consumption, you will be amazed to know the difference between what you buy and what you actually consume. Needless to say that this difference is but naturally wasted. Thus, we should buy in quantities which we can realistically use and avoid impulse buys, which will more or less find the bin.
2. If you cook at home, make sure you cook keeping in mind there is no excess. You can always complete your meals with a few fruits rather than keeping a lot of extra food in the refrigerator. It’s a lot better and a healthier practice too.
3. Select according to their shelf life. Use the green vegetables first. Don’t throw out fruits and veggies with ‘aesthetic only’ blemishes. Use canned and bottled food before expiry dates.
4.Reuse the refrigerated left-overs (if any) for the very next meal.
5. If you work in an office that has a canteen, check with them on how they manage excess food. Cooked food, especially since it has a low shelf life needs to be managed better and faster. Check with NGOs who offer to transport excess food to the needy.
6.If you host a family get together either at home, a marriage hall at a hotel, make sure you plan for the food to be transported to a place like an orphanage or an old age shelter.
7. Make finishing your plate a habit and try to inculcate it further to as many people as possible.
If all the people of this world try to follow the above mentioned steps and take a pledge to fight against food wastage, then we can surely build a more healthy and a happy world to live in.
WRITTEN BY- VIBHOR
(NET IMPACT MEMBER)
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