reduced food waste and loss

• Individually:

  • Plan your weekly shop
  • Reduce portion sizes
  • Buy weirdly shaped fruit and vegetables
  • Store food correctly
  • Keep the fridge clutter free
  • Treat expiration and sell-by dates as guidelines
  • Compost waste for reuse in the garden
• Nationally/internationally:

  • In LICs, food loss occurs after harvesting due to poor pest control, lack of storage facilities, poor refrigeration access, cold chain storage, and bad marketing
  • Investment in these areas can solve these problems, allowing more food to reach consumers and increase GDP for these countries
• The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimated that 32% of all food produced in the world was lost or wasted in 2009
• Starting a compost from scratch can cost anywhere from $50 - $700
• Globally, around 13% of food produced is lost between harvest and retail, while an estimated 17% of total global food production is wasted in households, food service, and retail combined
• Oddbox:

  • Subscription-based grocery box service delivering fresh, locally sourced produce in the UK
  • Committed to reducing food waste and supporting small farmers and local communities
  • Customers can choose delivery size and frequency, including items deemed "too big" or "too wonky"
  • mission is to reduce approx 3 million tonnes of food waste a year
• Rubies in the Rubble:

  • Creates jams, sauces, and chutneys using rescued produce
  • Sources produce from local markets, farms, and suppliers
  • Partners with charities and food banks to donate products to those in need
• More food is eaten by consumers, preventing waste of resources used in production

  • Improving food systems helps feed more people without expanding crop areas, preventing deforestation and carbon dioxide release
  • Food waste contributes to climate change by producing methane in landfills
  • People can save money by reducing food waste
  • Reducing waste saves space in landfills by keeping useful materials out
• when food is lost or wasted, all the resources that were used to produce food - including water, land, energy, labour and money goes to waste
• the disposal of food waste in landfills leads to greenhouse gas emissions which contributes to climate change
• social advantages:

  • not everyone wants to be involved
  • many people are too busy
  • if food prices decrease, it is likely around 45 percent of adults will become obese instead of 26 percent at the moment
• economic disadvantages:

  • as food supply increases food prices decrease which allows people to spend more than they usually would have done - around 100 pounds more
  • starting a compost can cost between 50 and 700 pounds
• environmental disadvantages:

  • food is made in smaller quantities means you use more energy because the machinery is used more often
• social advantages:

  • improved global nutrition
  • ensures more food ends up feeding people instead of being in landfill
• more than 40 percent of produce by weight is lost or wasted worldwide each year
• economic advantages:

  • reducing consumer food waste by 20 -25 percent could save the world an estimated 120 to 300 billion per year
  • eliminating available food waste could save the average family 700 pounds a year
• environmental advantages:

  • reduced greenhouse gas emissions by up to 10 percent
  • reduces size of landfills