Reducing Food Waste: Tips and Tricks for Every Household.

Imagine this: you're standing in your kitchen, staring at a pile of wilted vegetables, half-empty containers, and forgotten leftovers. Sound familiar?

You're not alone. In households around the world, food waste has become an all-too-common problem, with staggering consequences for both our planet and our pockets. But fear not! With a few simple changes to our daily habits, we can all play a part in tackling this issue head-on. 

Food “waste” refers to food that is fit for consumption but consciously discarded at the retail or consumption phases (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health). Food waste has its environmental, economic and social impacts. Globally, approximately $1 trillion worth of food is squandered annually, resulting in a total economic impact of around $3 trillion per year when taking into account the environmental and social consequences such as deforestation, soil erosion, heightened greenhouse gas emissions, water scarcity, chemical exposure, and diminished profits for farmers. Moreover, food waste contributes to rising prices, thereby limiting the accessibility of nutritious food for a significant portion of the population.

Reducing food waste aids in achieving Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs): 2- Zero Hunger, 12- Responsible Consumption and Protection and 13- Climate Action. SDG  2 is about creating a world free of hunger by 2030. Reducing food waste can address hunger which is a global challenge. By maximizing food resources, we can contribute to SDG 2 and promote food security. Target 12.3 of SDG 12 specifically focuses on food waste reduction. It calls for cutting global food waste in half at the retail and consumer levels and reducing food losses along production and supply chains by 2030.  Food waste is a direct result of unsustainable consumption and production patterns. By using more sustainable practices that reduce food waste, persons can reduce their carbon footprint and contribute to a sustainable food system.  Food loss and waste also exacerbates the climate change crisis with its significant greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint. Production, transportation, and handling of food generate significant Carbon Dioxide emissions and when food ends up in landfills, it generates methane, an even more potent greenhouse gas(USDA) Therefore by reducing food waste, there can be a decrease in greenhouse gas emission contributing to SDG 13 which focuses on Climate Action. 

Over a third of all food produced (~2.5 billion tons) is lost or wasted each year. One third of this occurs in the food production stage. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) estimates this wasted food is worth $230 billion. Researchers estimate the lost food calories from food waste amount to roughly 24% of the total available food calories. To put this in perspective, the UN reports that about a third of the global population, mostly in developing countries and low income countries, didn’t have enough access to food in 2020–an increase of 320 million people from the previous year(Greenly).

Similarly in the United States, food waste is estimated at between 30–40 percent of the food supply (FDA).

This figure is based on estimates from USDA’s Economic Research Service of food loss at the retail and consumer levels, corresponded to approximately 133 billion pounds and $161 billion worth of food in 2010.

In 2015, the USDA joined with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to set a goal to cut our nation’s food waste by 50 percent by the year 2030. Food waste particularly impacts the environment, particularly through greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution and water waste. In a more recent report released in 2021, the EPA estimated that each year, U.S. food loss and waste embodies 170 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (million MTCO2e) GHG emissions (excluding landfill emissions) – equal to the annual CO2 emissions of 42 coal-fired power plants. This estimate does not include the significant methane emissions from food waste rotting in landfills. 

 In the United States, food waste is a leading cause of water pollution. When food scraps are disposed of in landfills, they decompose and release methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Methane is not the only pollutant emitted from landfills – leachate, a toxic liquid that forms when rainwater mixes with decomposing waste, can also contaminate nearby groundwater and surface water sources(Transformation Holdings).  In addition, when food is wasted, all the water used in its production, processing, and distribution is essentially wasted as well. According to the World Resources Institute, an environmental think tank, inside the 1.3 billion tons of food wasted every year worldwide is 45 trillion gallons of water(NPR).

Now that we've gained insight into the issue of food waste, let's shift our focus to the brighter side: the benefits of reducing it. By cutting down on wasted food, we're not only helping the planet but also saving money and making sure everyone has enough to eat. Let's explore how these small changes can make a big difference in our lives and the world around us. 

Some benefits of reducing food waste include: 

1. Saving money: Buying only want you need is a  smart financial strategy that not only helps save money but also reduces food waste and promotes sustainable consumption patterns. The average family of four in the USA spends $1500 per year on food that is not eaten. Perhaps if only what was needed at the moment for the average family was purchased instead of an excess of food items, that money could have been used in other areas such as entertainment, education or for future plans. 

2. Reduce your carbon footprint: When food is wasted, the land, water, energy, and other inputs that are used in producing, processing, transporting, preparing, storing, and disposing the food are wasted as well. By wasting less food, we reduce the demand for agricultural inputs like water for irrigation, land for cultivation, and energy for farming machinery and transportation.  By preventing food from ending up in landfills where it decomposes anaerobically and produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas, we can significantly reduce our carbon footprint. This helps mitigate environmental degradation, reduces greenhouse gas emissions associated with food production and waste disposal, and preserves biodiversity and ecosystems.

3. Reduces global hunger: By reducing food waste, we promote food security by allowing edible food to  reach to those that are most in need of it; instead of that food ending up within a landfill

4. Climate Action:  When wasted food goes to a landfill, the nutrients in the food never return to the soil. The wasted food rots and produces methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times as potent as CO2 at trapping heat in the atmosphere. EPA estimates that wasted food is responsible for 58% of landfill methane emissions to the atmosphere. By preventing organic waste from ending up in landfills, we decrease methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas, and help combat global warming. 

As we've explored the benefits of reducing food waste, like saving money and helping the environment, you might be wondering, "How can I do my part?" Well, get ready because in the next section, we're diving into practical tips and tricks that you can easily incorporate into your daily routine. From simple meal planning to smart shopping strategies, we're about to make reducing food waste as easy as pie. 

Outlined below are some practical tips and tricks sourced from the Environmental Protection Agency, World Resources Institute, and my own experiences that have helped me reduce food wastage:

• Write a shopping list: My personal favorite and the easiest in my opinion is writing a shopping list. Going to the supermarket can be overwhelming at times and we tend to pick up some things that we absolutely don't need. Writing a shopping list helps stay focused and avoid buying unnecessary items.

• Portion Control: Don't cook more than you can eat. Ensure that you are cooking in portions that you are capable of eating so that wastage is reduced. 

• Meal Planning: Plan your meals ahead of time, ensuring that you record the ingredients and exactly how much is needed.

• Freezer left over food: Invest in some freezer bags to store leftover food for future use. Trust me, that month old lasagna from the freezer may not sound as appealing now but when reheated it tastes good as new. 

• Check those expiry dates: Ensure to regularly check the expiry dates of items so they are used before it goes bad. 

• Start a compost bin: Consider starting  a compost bin in your backyard to turn food scraps into nutrient-rich compost for your garden. Composting not only reduces food waste but also enriches soil and promotes plant growth.

References

Environmental Protection Agency. (n.d.). EPA. https://www.epa.gov/recycle/preventing-wasted-food-home 

Goodwin, L. (2023, April 20). The global benefits of reducing food loss and waste, and how to do it. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/insights/reducing-food-loss-and-food-waste 

Food Waste Faqs. USDA. (n.d.). https://www.usda.gov/foodwaste/faqs 

Food waste. The Nutrition Source. (2022, November 30). https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/sustainability/food-waste/ 

Barclay, E. (2013, June 6). When You Waste Food, you’re wasting tons of water, too. NPR. https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/06/06/189192870/when-you-waste-food-youre-wasting-tons-of-water-too