The negative aspects of food wastage

                                        (Retrieved from www.forbes.com)

Did you know that one third of all food produced annually gets wasted? In Singapore alone, we produce almost 1,000,000 tones of wasted food annually! That’s the weight of 1420 fully loaded Airbus A380s!

This post for the day, we will be covering the negative aspects of food waste on our environment, economy and society.


Environmentally, all the resources used to cultivate food get wasted. Around the same amount of water as the flow of the Volga river annually is used to grow wasted food. Deforestation occurs to make space for landfills, affecting natural habitats. Greenhouse gasses are also emitted by decomposing food, resulting in global warming and climate change!

                                             (Retrieved from www.fao.org)


Economically, a whopping 750 billion US dollars of food is wasted! Imagine what that amount of money can do to help the needy! In countries like Singapore and the Emirates, where resources and land are scarce, even more money is spent on importing wasted food, resulting in greater economic losses! It’s as good as throwing money down the drain.

The following video by the United Nations(UN) explains in further detail of the economic losses of food waste! It also goes into detail of costs of food waste that cannot be calculated in monetary terms!

                      


Lastly, the main effect on our society is needless hunger. The world’s population that are in need could be fed and supported with the amount of food that had gone to waste! Extra food could have been given to the needy instead or at least sold at a cheaper rate.

                                    (Retrieved from www.coldstarlogistics.com)

 Lastly, do take a look at this video done by Tristram Stuart at TED on the topic of food waste! He points out the food waste situation in multiple countries and also the process of how and where food is being wasted!

                                     



Thanks for reading and do check out my previous posts on how to reduce food waste!

Ways to save food in your daily life!

Have you ever wondered what you can do to reduce food wastage? Or want to find ways to reduce the level of waste? Here are the top 6 ways i use to waste as little as possible!
1. Shop smart.

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Always remember to plan meals! Use a grocery list and avoid buying food products on impulse! Do not be deceived by promotions that encourage you to buy in bulk, and at quantities that you do not need.

My family uses the notepad on our smartphones as our list to keep track of the items that are necessities, and this is helpful is ensuring that we do not buy unnecessary items that eventually go to waste. Alternatively, for the more tech-savvy, one can also download mobile apps to keep track of food purchases. Not only does this save food, it also enables one to save money on house hold expenditure as well.
2.Take stock.

Always take note of the expiration dates of the products you already have at home. My household practices FIFO, it stands for first in first out. Move older products to the front of the shelf or fridge and put newer ones at the back.
3.Store better.

If your food is always going stale, you should store them in air tight containers to keep them fresh for a longer period of time. Also check the fridge to make sure it is functioning efficiency ( temperature, tight seal, etc..). Alternatively just store food in air tight containers that can be found in every neighborhood supply store!
4.Check in with your belly.
                                                    

As my mom always say, make sure your eyes aren’t bigger than your stomach!In many food courts and hawker centres in Singapore, there are signs that ask you to reduce the portion size if you can't finish it. Don't be afraid and just ask! If not, just share the meal with your family or friends!
5.Give away extra.
                                         

Keep an eye on the expiration date of the product. If you think you won’t be using it on time or frankly just not using it, give it to a friend or neighbor that would! Alternatively, there are many charities that except extra food to use as aid! For example, the Salvation Army in Singapore!
6.Re-use wasted food.

Wasted food can be composted into fertilizers to be used in growing plants at home! They can be very useful for your backyard garden or your indoor potted plants. This helps you save money too as crops can be yield and lesser money is needed to buy fertilizer.

Not all expiration dates were created equally and very few of them will actually tell you if food has gone bad. “Sell-by” means it has to be sold, not eaten, by a given date. “Best-by” means it will be at its peak of freshness, not safety, by a certain date. And “Use-By” indicates when the quality will start to go down!

I hope you enjoyed reading this post! Check out my latest post on the negative impacts of food wastage if you haven't already!! 

Cheers.