Three years ago, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) came together to design and commemorate the first International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. As the name suggests, this day is to raise awareness and foster discussions about the problem of food loss and waste as well as initiate collaborative actions on all societal levels.
Food waste is a common act many can relate to. We all have engaged in this unsustainable act more than once. Remember when your mom made your least favourite food and you emptied it into a waste bin? Or the times you took more food than you could eat and had to trash the leftovers?
However, food waste is not just the waste generated at the consumption of food, it accounts for the entire lifeline of food production, from harvesting to consumption. Statistics by the UN show that over 17% of total food production in the world is wasted in homes, food services and other final consumer levels.
Furthermore, when food goes to waste, all the resources put into producing the food, e.g. energy, water, etc. go to waste as well.
Today, September 29, is another IDAFLW to urge everyone to take deliberate actions to reduce food loss and waste.
Food waste is a habit that should be stopped, and here are a few ways you can deliberately work towards sustainable food practices:
- Get a smaller plate. Funny. But getting a smaller plate will allow you to reduce the amount of food you take thereby potentially reducing food waste.
- Store food items properly: to prevent spoilage, preserve your food items by storing them in the right conditions, be it sun-drying or refrigeration.
- Compost your leftovers: how about giving food back to the soil? You can compost your leftover meals and increase soil nutrients.
- Share a meal: if you have more than enough meals, share with someone near you. I assure you their stomach will appreciate it better than a thrash can.
In a world where millions are faced with hunger each day, the smallest spoonful of meals counts!
Happy IDAFLW, let's change the world, one spoon at a time.
— Joy Adeyemi
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