The food waste problem
An often untalked issue in regards to global warming, industrial pollution, and environmental decay is the issue of food waste.
Food - it's an undeniable necessity for humans, it's also an issue that is constantly discussed in human rights debates, and many of us in the West will never know a life that isn't surrounded by an array of food products in supermarkets. This apathetic view toward the excessive amount of food items around us is causing immense problems in the world, which needs to be addressed.
An estimated 160 billion pounds of food goes to waste every single year, with the majority being perfectly edible and nutritious. This is an ever-growing issue that is only growing under the spread of overconsumption and dangerous consumerism.
Why is food waste a global issue?
Put simply, the food that we waste contributes to the production of greenhouse gases. Thus, the issue with food waste is not just about the actual physical waste that it creates, it begins with the production process.
Growing crops, raising livestock, manufacturing, and delivery all play a significant part in the problem, all in a world where so much food is unnecessarily wasted every single year.
Consider the amount of wasted water, gas for transportation, and energy for processing food. Of course, while many of us are trying to make changes to how we consume food products when it comes to packaging and energy, the actual food doesn't get the same amount of attention.
It has been estimated that if a figure was to be put on the carbon footprint of food waste, it would stand at 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2 every single year.
Morally, it also seems indefensible that so much perfectly fine food is being thrown away when there are so many people suffering from starvation around the world.
800 million humans do not have access to food, and 1 in 9 people in the world are considered malnourished. Every single person on planet earth could be fed with just a quarter of the food that goes to waste in Europe and the USA alone every year.
Food poverty shouldn't exist alongside a food waste problem.
Why is so much food wasted?
It is hard to pinpoint exactly why so much food is wasted. Food loss exists at every point of the food chain - on the farms, fishing boats, packing houses, manufacturing facilities, transportation, retail, restaurants, and households.
Households are responsible for the largest portion of food waste. In the US alone, households are estimated to waste 76 billion pounds of food per year.
What are the solutions?
With this in mind, households can begin to make some individual changes that will collectively begin to make a difference. Obviously, buying less/only buying what you need will reduce the supply and demand for food, causing a ripple effect in the supply chain.
Begin to use leftovers to create new meals, recycle your food waste, start composting, and even look into fermented foods.
Of course, the responsibility cannot fall on the hands of individuals. Businesses and manufacturers will ultimately make the largest change, as they wield the most power and influence.
Here at Together for Climate, with work with the Good Food Institute - a nonprofit that is working to accelerate protein innovation and modernise meat production.
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