As your parents probably said to you many times: never waste food, it’s a shame! But what’s the actual meaning of food waste? And food loss? How can we, people with individual and social responsibility, act to tackle this increasing phenomenon?
Let me give you a brief overview of this global issue.
In terms of waste management, food waste is that kind of waste resulting from food that is thrown away in our homes, schools and workplaces. If food that is fit for consumption gets spilled during harvesting or transport, or go bad in storage, or rot in the market, it’s defined as food loss.While food loss usually happens accidentally, food waste is commonly intentional -and here is where our sphere of action becomes essential to influence the individual and collective behavior, raising awareness on one’s own responsibility in tackling this problem. If we eat a little and throw the rest in the trash bin, we are not just wasting precious food, but we are also wasting our money, energy, resources and water. In fact, the wastage not only affects the food chain, but also the environment, the economy and the society.
If we analyze the phenomenon in the global scale, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), we live in a world where around a third of the food produced across the globe is wasted, while almost 690 million people are suffering from hunger. At the European level, it’s estimated thatin 2011 around 129 million tons of food waste were generated, which represents 20% of the food produced. Fruit and vegetables are the food groups that contribute most to food waste: 24% and 22% of the total amount, respectively.
At national level, the Cypriot production of household waste per capita is among the highest in Europe. According to the Statistical Services of the Republic of Cyprus,in 2017 the waste generation reached 636 kg per capita, placing the Island second only to Denmark which generates 781kg. Overall European Union averages to 486 kg per capita, a third of which (i.e. 88 million tons) is food waste. Food waste does not only put pressure on our country and our planet, but it’s also ethically unjustifiable!
Luckily there are good news too!
Since my arrival in Cyprus, my flat mates and I became Rescued Warriors joining the Rescued Boxinitiative. The mission of this projectis to tackle food waste becoming an active part of the solution by buying seasonal products from local farmers, all certified and following the EU directives. We receive every week a recyclable box full of the freshest fruits and vegetables from the island, avoiding food waste derived from produce surplus, the use of plastic and contributing to the decrease of carbon footprint since the delivery routes are optimized. In addition, Rescued Box donates every week 10% of the proceeds to charity organizations to fight hunger in Cyprus.
Even though you might not think it, your action is essential to fight food waste and hunger worldwide. It’s importantand very easy, since there are several initiatives and tips to follow, to become an active part of this collective process. Each of us has its own social responsibility and we can all be change makers!
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