Under the link “Wasted Food Statistics (theworldcounts.com)" one can see in real-time how many tons of food have been wasted globally in the current year. At the time I am writing this blog post (1st of February 2022) the number is at 112,405,000 tons, changing every second to more and more wasted food. The life cycle of food has six steps, and every step adds up to more food waste. Agricultural production to postharvest handling and storage to processing to distribution to consumption to the end.
But what is the problem? Why do we waste so much food? Well sad news, because against the biggest problem of food waste we as an individual, cannot do a lot to prevent it. With around 500 million tons the most food is wasted in the production phase. But this is directly followed by postharvest handling and storage and consumption with 350 million tons each. And with the consumption, it becomes our duty to prevent food from being wasted.
35% of all wasted food is thrown away by supermarkets and households, although it is perfectly fine for eating. Yes, 35%!!!. Did you know that in Germany it is a crime to take food from the supermarket's trash containers? People go to court for wanting to save perfectly fine food and bring it to people in need. Sounds like a joke but sadly is the hard truth. We waste food while according to the Hunger project around 690 million are chronically hungry.
As an individual, you can take simple steps to reduce your food waste. Write a shopping list for the week and stick to it. Yes, sounds simple but is super effective to not buy unn
ecessary stuff which will only land in the trash later. And if you bought something you don’t need anymore, ask your roomies, friends or neighbors if they would like to eat it instead. Another great initiative is the App “Too Good To Go” where you can pick up bread, fruits, or entire meals at a cheaper price from supermarkets, bakeries, and restaurants before they get thrown away. I have had delicious stuff for such a cheap amount of money!
Food is such a great thing so let’s don’t waste it!
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