Food waste and food insecurity

An issue we are all guilty of ignoring or passing off as someone else's problem, but the problem is ever-growing and the facts hit hard:

ref (http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/household-food-and-drink-waste-uk-2012)

1. 33-50% of all food produced globally goes to waste.

2. 1 in 9 people on the planet (800million) go to bed hungry.

3. All the world’s nearly one billion hungry people could be fed on less than a quarter of the food that is wasted in the US, UK and Europe.

4. An area larger than China is used to grow food that is never eaten.

5. If food waste were a country it would be the 3rd largest emitter of greenhouse gases (after China & the USA). (ref)

One of the UN Sustainable Development Goals set in 2015 is:

Ref: https://www.globalgoals.org/12-responsible-consumption-and-production

However, the reality is that we have since gone in the opposite direction with food waste increasing.

The facts speak for themselves, and when we consider that by 2050 the global population is anticipated to reach 9.7 billion (ref), there simply won't be enough resources to feed everyone. The mass food market we have the luxury of experiencing today will be a thing of the past. The supermarket shelves will no longer be filled with 15 different types of microwaveable white rice; instead, we could find ourselves fighting for the last packet of rice altogether. The increasing issue of global warming will only add to the food security problems we are heading towards. The 2018 heatwave provided a snapshot of what the future could be like - farmers struggling to grow crops and feed their animals, food prices rising and food availability taking a downward turn. The combination of global warming and the increasing population will only exacerbate the stress on food security.

The map below shows a possible scenario for 2050 in which there has been no adaptation and emissions are at a medium level. More than half of the planet can be seen to be vulnerable to food insecurity, and the levels of vulnerability predicted for 2080 are even more alarming.

Ref: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/food-insecurity-index/

Earth Overshoot Day

1st August 2018.

What is Earth Overshoot Day? It marks the date when the ecological resources we are using within a year exceed what the planet can regenerate in that year. This means that every glass of water and every piece of food (for example) that you have consumed since the 1st August 2018 (and until 1st January 2019) is a net loss to the planet and will not be replaced (ref).

Why can we not just increase our food production?

Earth's resources are finite, and this includes space. With the addition of over 2billion more people, more and more natural space will be taken over by urban areas, purely to house the increased population. With the expanding concrete jungle, something has to give, and unfortunately this will be space for growing crops.

One solution - decreasing food waste

The issue of food waste and security is massive and unfortunately not considered important at present. We are simply not aware of the extent of the issue, but there is no doubt, things aren't getting better.

What can we do? Some of the most significant changes we can make on an individual level are:

planning meals and only buying what is necessary

• freezing leftovers

• repurposing food (e.g. stale bread - breadcrumbs)

• freezing food (bananas for smoothies, bread for toast)

• sharing food that won't get used with friends and neighbours

• using a food waste app such as Olio

And the benefits of taking responsibility and helping to tackle food waste are:

• saving money

• a healthier lifestyle

• being more creative in the kitchen/learning new skills

• social benefits (meeting friends and neighbours)

• helping to reduce world hunger

Food waste and food hunger are not issues we can continue to ignore or pass off as someone else's problem. Small changes will make a big difference!