Food is the most important thing in our daily life after oxygen. Since ancient times, many people have been working from morning to evening hoping for a handful of food. However, along with the changes in the economy and social system, the type of food has also changed. Earlier, ordinary people did not think about extra food beyond necessity, but nowadays almost people of all classes and professions eat in restaurants. Thanks to various local and foreign restaurants, the food of various countries is also available these days. But these are linked to food wastage and wastage. However, the demand for food is constantly increasing in the world, many people remain hungry even after a lot of food is wasted.
Definition of food waste and wastage
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United States ,One-third of the total food produced in the world is spoiled or wasted! Although the definition of food waste or food spoilage is given differently by different countries and organizations, two simple definitions are used in this text for the convenience of the readers. Food waste refers to food waste from production to reaching the consumer. Food can spoil before it reaches the consumer due to natural disasters, transportation problems or improper storage. On the other hand, food waste occurs when food spoils because of the consumer or consumer. Many throw away perfectly good food just because it’s not the right color or shape. Again, many customers waste because they cannot buy and eat a lot of food at once. And wasting cooked food in restaurants has become very common these days in many developing and developed countries including Bangladesh.
How food spoils and wastes
On the face of it, it may seem that food spoilage or wastage occurs mostly in households. But in reality, food spoilage begins long before it reaches the consumer. A long process works from the production of food to reaching the hands of the consumer. And most of the food is wasted at this stage. However, countries that are technologically advanced have naturally less losses in this field than other countries.
Due to drought, flood or other natural calamities almost every country loses a lot of crops every year. Besides, various diseases of crops occur due to the attack of insects or microorganisms. In underdeveloped countries production may be low due to lack of proper crop care. Diseases also occur in animal farms from time to time. As a result, food waste starts at the very initial stage of food production. Even if the crop is properly produced, short-term or long-term storage is required to reach the consumer. A lot of food is wasted due to improper storage. Then there is food spoilage during transportation. Road accidents spoil food, raw fruits or vegetables can spoil in hot or humid weather due to improper preparation for transport. Refrigeration of vehicles transporting fish and meat can spoil the fish and meat.
Even if food is lost due to natural disasters or transport accidents at the production stage, food is not wasted in the hands of consumers. Many people in developed countries do not buy food if the color or shape is a little different! As a result, vegetables or fruits that look a bit ugly end up in the trash. Many people buy extra food and keep it at home, but end up throwing it away without eating it. Not taking extra food at a feast or restaurant is a very common but scary thing these days. Again, buying packaged food and not paying attention to the expiration date, you have to throw it away when it expires. The amount of uneaten food that we throw away in the trash at home may seem like a small amount, but overall, we are all wasting a lot of food like this, almost every day!
Food is often wasted between the stages of food production and consumption. A sudden increase in the price of a crop often results in reduced sales. Since fruits or vegetables are perishable, food is often wasted in such situations. Again, even if the price of the crop is reduced, many times the farmers destroy the crop in protest. It is often seen in our country that when the prices of crops fall, farmers protest by throwing their crops on the streets. Again, many large food processing companies are very meticulous in sourcing their raw materials. This means that they take part of a farmer’s produce instead of taking all of it. Advertisements in Bangladesh often say ” Made with specially selected …” . Most of the crops or fruits that survive this special selection are wasted. And thus food is wasted without food being wasted or wasted at the production stage or by the consumer.
Some statistics on food waste
Food waste is greatest at the production stage, in all regions of the world. However, waste at the consumer level is highest in rich and developed countries. According to FAO data , industrialized countries waste and waste almost twice as much food as other countries. And fruits and vegetables top the list of wasted foods in all regions. The most alarming fact is that the amount of food wasted every year in rich countries is almost the same as the total food production of the sub-Saharan region! The amount of food wasted and wasted per person in the rich countries of Europe and North America is about 10 times more than the food wasted per person in Africa and South Asia! It is easy to understand that the amount of food spoilage and wastage increases with money.
What we can do to prevent food waste
While there is not much we can personally do about food spoilage due to natural disasters or disease or during transportation, we can control food waste in our personal lives.
- Let’s start with the market. Many people go to the market and return home with a lot of food, but there was no need to buy so much food. It can be seen that at the end of the week some food in the fridge is spoiled or on the verge of spoiling. So you have to give up the habit of over-marketing while marketing.
- Sometimes marketed in small quantities can spoil if not stored properly. Knowing where and how to store food is also important. For example, potatoes and onions are good for a long time if they are kept in an open place or if they are kept in an airtight bag in the refrigerator.
- Then there is spoilage of cooked food. We all have an idea about how much food we can eat. But even then we don’t have extra food on the plate to satisfy the ‘hunger of the eye’, much of which ends up being wasted. It is most common at weddings or weddings. Many people sit and eat with others in dawa. As it wastes food, it also damages one’s health. Many people are suffering from various diseases including heart disease at very young age due to excessive and unnecessary food. So we should eat as much as we can during meals. First of all, you can eat a lot without eating a lot – if you keep this in mind while eating, it is possible to reduce food waste a lot.
- One should also be aware of buying packaged food. When buying short-term food items such as bread, always check the expiration date. Also, it should be kept in mind whether it will be possible to finish the entire meal within this period. If it is the case that it can be preserved by cooking or in any other way even after the expiry date then that action should also be taken.
- Leftover food from weddings or feasts can be given to orphanages or street children. Currently there are several organizations that collect such leftover food.
- The waste can be used as fertilizer. Nowadays many people grow flowers or vegetables at home. It can be easily used on plants by making composite fertilizer without throwing away any food. Although the food was wasted, it was good for other work, and there was no need to spend separately to take care of the trees.
Why is it important to stop food waste?
There is no reason to think that food waste needs to be stopped or reduced because only the poor are not getting food. Food waste is not only a waste of food, but also a waste of money, labor and energy. From growing crops to buying food, lots of people are involved. In this they give their money, labor. But if the money and labor given by them is wasted, then that money and labor is also wasted in the end. For crop production, the transportation of seeds, tractors or vehicles used for transporting crops are constantly increasing the emission of carbon dioxide by burning fuel. On the other hand, various greenhouse gases are emitted from food processing factories. Cooking food also requires fuel and water. If food is wasted eventually, a lot of fuel is also wasted and greenhouse gases are added to the atmosphere. On the other hand, food and water are also being wasted. As a result, on the one hand, as the food was spoiled, the environment was also damaged . If the food is not wasted, it was at least a profit! All things considered, food spoilage or wastage not only results in food spoilage, but other losses are also added.
Many people in the world are dying from lack of food, yet food is wasted every day. Again, due to lack of coordination, goodwill, and corruption, it is not possible to deliver food to everyone. Even if we exclude the production level, even with the amount of wastage at the consumer level, it is possible to provide food for many families throughout the year. But we can at least correct ourselves as individuals. People in poverty-stricken areas may not get food directly, but their profits will not be reduced either. Wasting your food means wasting your hard earned money. So it is very important for everyone to be aware to prevent food wastage.