The Problem:

Australia’s waste 7.6million tonnes of food each year but the worst thing is 70% of this food is perfectly edible. With this loss of food is also a loss of finances, food waste costs the Australian economy $36.6 billion a year. Food waste is an important aspect to the continuously growing impact of global warming. With the amount of greenhouse gases emitted each year 30% of the total is through food wastage, where the food is sitting in landfills, rotting rather than being eaten or disposed of naturally. Now these are the hard facts to drive you, the reader, into understanding the dangers of this common thought. We as a society can do our bit to change that. Food waste is most common in household waste. 

Food waste does not just impact climate change but also others around us. Those less fortunate who can’t pay top dollar for fresh and healthy food, but also the knowledge that that food is being wasted and could go to a hungry mouth. Many people think that when we say this that we think of the children and families in third world countries like Africa and some parts of Asia, but people forget about those right on our doorstep. People who live with lack of food and home security struggle with the rise in costs of food, it’s hard to find fresh and edible food for not just them but also their families.

The Solutions:

There are many ways for people who are fortunate enough to have access to these resources to help reduce waste at home, school, work and out at restaurants. 

  • Being more prepared: plan your meals for the week, and then check and write a list of what you need, this saves money as well as food waste and over buying.
  • Customise your meals: if following a recipe fit it to your family size so there’s no leftovers. 
  • Date your freezer: if you do have leftovers and can’t eat them before they expire, place them in the freezer and date it. But also make an inventory list of your freezer. If you’re like my household, then you can’t see what you have and forget what is in your freezer. 
  • Leftovers: use your leftovers effectively, if you can’t have it for dinner see if you can take it to work or send it to school with your children. Don’t waste what you’ve made. 
  • Know your date labels: 
    • ‘Use by date’ – food has to go.
    • ‘Best before’ – food is at its best and can be eaten after this date as long as it has been stored correctly.
    • ‘Display until’ – a stock control message for retailers 

WWF Australia.com 

  • Recycling: Know your bins and what can and can’t go in each (each state and local area is different) and start a compost, put those scrapes to use and help your garden grow. Less waste going to landfill the better. 
  • Doggy bag it: if you go out to a restaurant and you didn’t eat it all, ask to take it home. Don’t let it go to waste. Also think carefully about what you eat and don’t eat and suit a meal to those qualities. 

Everyone needs to make an effort in preventing food waste, there are many organisations that help gather unsellable food from supermarkets and restaurants and give it to those who need it. It’s important to know where our food waste goes and that there are no consequences to these actions. We need to educate ourselves and each other on the value of fresh food and how it can be used wisely. 

Sources:

https://www.wwf.org.au/what-we-do/food/reducing-food-waste#gs.rnz6kn

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/reduce-food-waste#TOC_TITLE_HDR_10

https://www.ozharvest.org/food-waste-facts/

https://www.foodbank.org.au/food-waste-facts-in-australia/?state=qld