FOOD WASTAGE

INTRODUCTION

Nowadays, the problem of food wastage is getting people’s attention and it is clear why;
just consider statistics which are alarming. Our planet produces 17% more food than we
used to 30 years ago, but the problem comes when only half of it gets to our stomachs
(Pellman. 2017).

To have a better understanding of the problem of food wastage, it is necessary to

distinguish between food loss and food wastage. Food loss refers to post-harvest and
processing stages of food, whereas food wastage deals with the food left to spoil or
discarded by retailers or consumers (Food Policy For Thought).

Different initiatives have been carried out in order to tackle this issue. For example, some
United States schools have implemented a course of study named Home Economics and
Human Ecology(https://www.um.edu.mt/_ _data/assets/pdf_ file/0004/281857/ AM18.
pdf), in which students, among many other things, are taught to be aware of the impact of
food wastage. In Colombia there are not initiatives like this one, but one can find different
proposals like ABACO (Asociación de Bancos de Alimentos de Colombia), a bank of food
that collects surplus agricultural, industrial, commercial and private donor’s products
(ABACO, 2018). https://www.bancosdealimentosdecolombia.com/home

The objective of this proposal is to encourage a more efficient use of food by means of
better educational practices, both at school and at home.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Food wastage is a concern all over the world and Colombia is not the exception. Every
year, one-third of food products for human consumption are wasted or lost in the supply
chain (Van Doorn, 2016). According to the Colombian government, 10 million tons of food
are wasted every year (Cottrill, 2016).

There are many reasons for food wastage; one of them is related to overconsumption. A
large literature stream on overconsumption points out that vice goods (those that people are
likely to consume in excess and probably later regret doing so) or hedonic goods (those that
bring you pleasure but are not necessary) tempt people to purchase more than they need.
(Wertenbroch cited in Van Doorn, 2016).

Another cause of food wastage is lack of education regarding shopping planning, storage
and consumption. For instance, consumers tend to enjoy serving big portion sizes but at the
same time are not always willing to reuse the leftovers that remain on the table for reasons
that refer more to culture or education than to the inability to reinvent a meal (Porpino,
2016). Most importantly, there is lack of education on how to be more proactive about food
consumption at home in order to reduce food waste. For example, not using a shopping list
could increase the amount of food thrown away per capita by roughly 20% (Jorissen cited
in Schanes,et al, 2018), for you end up buying what you do not need or will not consume.

Interestingly, concerns about the environmental impacts of food waste turn out to be a
minor motive to reduce wasteful behavior (Neff et al.. 2015). While consumers raise
concerns about global warming and the excessive use of resources (Tucker and Farrelly,
2015) or express an environmental consciousness through their beliefs and reported
behaviours (Parizeau et al.. 2015), environmental concerns rank behind other factors when
it comes to reducing food waste (Abeliotis et al.. 2014, Graham-Rowe et al.. 2014, Pearson
et al.. 2016, Principato et al.. 2015, Quested et al.. 2013, Stefan et al.. 2013, Watson and
Meah, 2012).

This could be explained because of the impact food wastage causes when there are millions
of people who are starving every day. Anyone with common sense sees the absurdity of this
situation.
However, the environmental effect is of great importance too. In the case of the United
States, for example, organic waste sent to landfills decomposes and produces 18% of the
annual methane gas emissions, according to a report from the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) (Marjolaine, 2017). Methane gas is a potent greenhouse gas that contributes
to global warming.

OBJECTIVES
- To raise awareness of food wastage by exploring the issue globally.
- To become aware of the importance of environmental effects of food wastage.
- To educate peoplein all levels, as well as companies,on a correct food consumption
to avoid food wastage in everyday lives and activities.
- To foster proactivity in food shopping planning.
- To enhance organization on food storage.

PLAN OF ACTION

This section presents our plan of activities based on the objectives discussed in the previous
section. There has been an increasing concern about food waste in local communities and
several organizations have been interested in dealing with this topic. One of the most
important organizations of the United Nations is the Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO), whichprovides information about initiatives to save food based on educational
proposals.

To reflect on the problem on a global and local level can lead to initiatives which can turn
food that could be wasted, into food that gives nutrition to people who need it.When
communities become aware of the problem, many ideas can be carried out, such as:
- Food that is rejected by supermarkets, restaurants or manufacturers because it
doesn’t fit the standards, but is perfectly edible food, can be redistributed to urban
food programs.(Hepker 2014)
- Many companies use food wastage to prepare other kinds of food, such as
condiments, for example (Cimons 2017).
On an individual level:
 - A disciplined shopping list in which buying groceries is an organized task where
you buy what you need and in the amount you need.
- Healthy recipes to take advantage of perishable food.

Regarding the environmental effects, there are many ways of turning gas emissions to
energy. For example, anaerobic digestion, which is a collection of processes by which
microorganisms break down biodegradable material, is used for industrial or domestic
purposes to manage waste or to produce fuels (Marjolaine (2017).

Students will be lectured on how to improve their food habits through content-unit in a
subject called “Empowering” at school.
Design lectures, prepare the teachers, involve parents in educating the community to solve
the problem of food wastage.

CONCLUSION
A shift in the attitude toward food waste is necessary in order to benefit both humans and
nature, allowing a new narrative between them (Gjerris&Gaiani, 2013). This can be
achieved by offering school students the opportunity to reflect on the problem of food
wastage, raise awareness of their roles in this issue on a local level and explore possible
solutions at their communities, schools and homes.

If we apply the points stated in the Plan of Action, the distribution of food will be more
balanced, people will appreciate the importance of using food correctly and it will help
reduce hunger in the world.
If we have less food waste, we have less greenhouse effect.
References
Marjolaine (2017) Biogas World. Turning Food into Energy
https://www.biogasworld.com/news/turning-food-waste-into-energy-to-power-
homes/

Hepker (2014) BBC News – Food Waste Reduction Could Help Feed World’s
Starvinghttps://www.bbc.com/news/business-28092034

Cottrill, K. (2016). Using Logistics to Cut Food Waste in Colombia in the Leading
Edge. Issue 61. Retrieved fromhttp://ctl.mit.edu/pub/newsletter/supply-
chain-frontiers-61-using-logistics-cut-food-waste-colombia

Gjerris, M., &Gaiani, S. (2013). Household food waste in Nordic countries:

Estimations and ethical implications. Etikkipraksis-Nordic Journal of
Applied Ethics, (1), 6-23.

Porpino, G. (2016). Household food waste behavior: avenues for future research.
Journal of the Association for Consumer Research 1.1 (2016): 41-51.
Schanes, K., Dobernig, K., &Gözet, B. (2018). Food waste matters-A systematic
review of household food waste practices and their policy implications.
Journal of Cleaner Production, 182, 978-991.

Food Policy For Thought. (s.f.). Obtenido de

http://foodpolicyforthought.com/2015/02/21/does-it-matter-if-we-say-food-loss-or-
food-waste/

Food Policy For Thought. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://foodpolicyforthought.com/2015/02/21/does-it-matter-if-we-say-food-loss-or-
food-waste/

Pellman, M. (2017, August). Here's How We Solve Our Food Waste Problem.
Forbes. Retrieved from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelpellmanrowland/2017/08/28/food-waste-
solution/#134bd6164d17

Cimons (2017) Popular Science – Nexus Media News

https://www.popsci.com/food-waste-upcycle