Don’t Waste Food.. These boards appear in hostels, hotels and other food serving, distributing agencies. Despite giving a glance at them, people seem to be caring the least about that aspect even when it has a significant impact on our society, economy and even on the natural resources. Food worth hundreds of billions is wasted every year though it drains valuable resources like water and land. Food waste exerts pressure on the environment, as it creates 8-10 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions and uses up nearly 30 per cent of farmland worldwide just to produce food that that ends up a waste.
The farmers’ efforts in growing the crop and transportation of it to the consumer are never given a thought when food is thrown into the bins.
When the wasted food is shifted to landfills, it rots and releases methane, which is one of the most harmful greenhouse gases, causing climate change. According to scientists, wasted food alone is responsible for about 9 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions from the global system.
While many waste food, there are hundreds of millions of people around the world still going hungry. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), more than $1 trillion’s worth of food is thrown away every year, while around 783 million people struggle with hunger.
The UNEP’s Food Waste Report 2024 puts China and India at the top of the list wasting 108.6 million tonne and 78.1 million tonne respectively in that year. The huge population in both countries leads to that huge wastage. The US also wastes a huge amount, about 24.7 million tonnes each year and stands in the third position. In Europe, nations like France and Germany throw away between 3.9 and 6.5 million tonne each year. Meanwhile, countries such as South Africa and Ghana waste over 2.8 million tonne annually.
Though US stands third in terms of total food waste per year, it wastes more food per capita, compared to India. When we look at food waste per person, an average Indian household wastes about 55 kg of food per year, while in the US that number stands at 73 kg. In Philippines, the food wasted per person is at a lowest of 26 kg per person, much less than that in India or the US. The country wastes 2.9 million tonne per year.
