Food Waste
Food, in addition to being a means of survival for human beings, also appears as part of our cultures. It is a fact that we all like to eat. However, how much we like to eat we also like to waste.
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According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) , about 1/3 of the food produced for consumption is wasted, which translates into 630 million tons of food.
Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz
Why is there so much waste?
This problem is mainly linked to globalization, since supply chains are increasingly complex and now all products are available to us everywhere. Food has ceased to have periods of consumption and, it seems, we can buy Indian mangoes in Germany and American apples in Indonesia, all year round.
We are a family owned and operated business.
In the process of transporting the products, many of them are lost or wasted and, even when they arrive at the supermarkets, retailers insist on sending out products that look strange, but which are otherwise perfectly edible, and consumers do not always consume everything. that they buy.
Buyers want a lot of options, and retailers don't want to be left with nothing. Unfortunately, this supply of stocks encourages waste, as products are more likely to reach their "expiration" dates while they are still on the shelf. At that time, markets have to dispose of the surplus, and much of it is simply thrown away.
In addition, buffet-style and “all-inclusive” restaurants encourage people to put more on their plate than they can eat, which means that a lot of food is wasted in these establishments, since the available income covers the waste of leftovers.
What are the environmental impacts of this problem?
Agricultural Area
Wasted or lost food (28%)
Graphic by Camila Pina
When food products are discarded, it is not just food that is wasted. There is a whole use of resources necessary for the production of these foods, such as water for irrigation, land for planting, fuels to supply the harvest and transport vehicles, among others.
When we waste any food, we have to take into account all those resources that are, in practice, wasted along with the food.
Twenty-eight percent of the world's agricultural area is used to produce food that ends up being lost or wasted every year. Not only does this result in unnecessary land degradation, but clearing the land for agricultural purposes is a cause of deforestation, which eliminates wildlife habitats and eliminates trees that absorb greenhouse gases. (Reset, 2018)
The FAO estimates that the carbon footprint of food waste is 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year. Not only are oil, diesel and other polluting fuels used to feed production machines and transport vehicles, but also greenhouse gases are emitted by the food waste itself.
What is the solution ?
In developing countries, there is a need to invest in better training for farmers and public and private investments in infrastructure. Technologies capable of acting as refrigeration and as sources of renewable energy are needed, as is the example of solar panels.
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In industrialized countries, supermarkets can choose to donate unsold products. Fortunately, several retailers have already adopted this practice and have even created software platforms to notify subscribers or local charities about food surpluses available for collection.
We are a family owned and operated business.
In Portugal, an application was created to combat food waste, Too Good To Go . This application is defined as an online market where it is possible to order products that would be discarded by hotels, restaurants and supermarkets. The same happens with similar applications like Olio , Phenix Portugal and Fair Meals .
We are a family owned and operated business.
Another solution is to reuse food, whether for making various recipes or for making new cleaning products with the leftovers we use in the kitchen.
We are a family owned and operated business.
We are a family owned and operated business.
It is important for consumers to change some of their consumption habits:
- Eat less and better
- Try to buy local and seasonal products
- Improve meal planning
- Find out about validity labeling
- Composting