Our Food Waste Crisis.
Per second, we produce 66 tonnes of food waste.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation one third of food produced is lost every year with the amount being severely weighted towards industrialised economies who contribute a total of $680bn USD, in comparison to developing nations whose wastage can be attributed to losses of $310bn USD.
Consumption is at the highest it has ever been and it is unlikely to slow down as population growth is on a trajectory to increase exponentially with projections made for an extra 2bn people in the world by 2030. Conquering the food wastage crisis therefore demands action on a united front. It requires Individuals, Corporations and Governments to stand together to resolve an issue that accounts for 8% of global greenhouse emissions.
In high income societies food waste is a by product of consumer behaviour. Consumers want ‘perfect’ produce. They want that bright orange perfectly shaped carrot meaning that in terms of the retail economy - supermarket standards, government regulations and consumer expectations of how produce should look, are contributing to around 30% of food loss.
In low income societies however, 40% of food loss occurs post harvest resultant from a series of managerial, technical and financial constraints inhibiting producers to control their supply chain efficiently.
Managing these global supply chains will enable us to contain the crisis.
It is through increased consumer awareness and acceptance and support of ‘ugly’ foods that will enable supermarket standards to lessen. By making conscious, informed decisions, we can change our consumer behaviour patterns which in turn sends ripples into the market to change retail purchasing behaviour to ultimately cut demand on the supply chain. It is through knowledge, education and investment within the developing world that we can provide producers with correct infrastructure and technology for food wastage to be eradicated.
According to Project Drawdown, a programme set to reverse global warming, effective management of the supply chain generates countless opportunities for solutions that could cut down our overall global food wastage by 70mn tonnes, which is the same impact of using onshore wind turbines for 3 decades.
Working together as Individuals, Corporations and Governments, we can be greater than the sum of our parts. We can reap personal, economic and environmental benefits to not only pursue our personal longevity, but also the longevity of our ecosystems.
Nikki x
I read an article the other day that affected me so deeply that it inspired me to write this. It is not only a note to self, but hopefully a note to others to help us all to make better conscious decisions for the present and for the future.
