Food (Waste) Fight: Combating Global Food Waste with Unorthodox Solutions
Three billion tons of food, which represents one-third of all food produced for human consumption, is lost or wasted globally, according to the UN Food And Agriculture Organization. Food waste is a problem — and it’s a problem we need to address now.
Articles and studies highlighting the widespread impacts of food waste are dominating news headlines. Whether looking through a humanitarian, environmental, or even financial lens, it’s clear that we have a food waste problem, and it’s time to identify solutions using every tool at our disposal. Despite being a critical tool in helping to stem the tide of this global crisis, GMOs are largely left out of the food waste conversation.
Not only does the scientific consensus around GMOs points to their safety, but they are already helping us grow more using less land, reduce water use in food production, and limit lost crops due to pests, diseases or post-harvest losses. When it comes to food waste, GMOs can, and already do, play a pivotal role in limiting waste. Genetically modified apples are non-browning, eliminating aesthetic issues that can cause people to throw away otherwise good produce. Similarly, certain breeds of potatoes are genetically modified to bruise less, meaning fewer potatoes end up in landfills.
But due to public misconceptions around the safety and environmental benefits of GMOs, we aren’t using them to their full potential. We need to continue to combat misinformation about GMOs so that we can fully utilize this innovative technology to address food waste and other global environmental crises.
Below is a list of recent studies and articles demonstrating the dangers of food waste — and the need for forward-thinking solutions, such as GMOs, to help stop them:
1. Reuters: Global food waste could rise by a third by 2030 — study
A Boston Consulting Group study found that if current trends are sustained, food waste could rise by a third to 2.1 billion tons annually — an amount worth $1.5 trillion. The report also found that with some changes to the food system, there is an estimated $700 billion in savings available to all within the supply chain, from farmers on up. To read the full article, click here.
2. Los Angeles Times: The food that goes bad in your fridge amounts to trillions of gallons of wasted water
A report released in the journal PLOS ONE found that Americans wasted over 25% of our food between 2007 and 2014. The report also found that just short of 4.2 trillion gallons of water were used to produce all of this uneaten food. To read the full article, click here.
3. Popular Science: Your regular reminder that humans still waste way too much food
Young adults tend to waste a lot of food, and a study released in Appetite found that a lack of awareness might be to blame. The study looked at perceptions, beliefs and behaviors related to wasted food among 18- to 24-year-old adults and found that most didn’t know that they should try not to waste food. To read the full article, click here.
4. Food and Drink International: Most shoppers think supermarkets should do more to reduce food waste
More than nine in 10 shoppers think supermarkets should play a larger role in reducing food waste, according to research commissioned by operational improvement specialists Newton. The study of 4,000 consumers also revealed that 69% of the respondents cited the sale of imperfect fresh produce as the top method of preventing produce from being thrown away. To read the full article, click here.
5. Forbes: How can retailers keep ugly produce out of trash? Paying you a compliment helps, study finds
A study by Professor Lauren Grewal at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business and her coauthors found a link between self-esteem and certain types of food waste. The study, which is set to be published in The Journal of Marketing, found that merely imagining eating “unattractive” produce negatively affects the way we see ourselves and, in turn, decreases our willingness to buy it. To read the full article, click here.
To continue learning about the issue of food waste and the potential for GMO intervention, check out our recent Medium response to a Boston Globe food waste article and this Biotech-Now blog post.
