Laura Anderson
In the UK an estimated 2.5 million people use food banks, yet millions of tonnes of food are wasted each year. So why is this, and what can we do to reduce this waste? In 2018, around 9.5 million tonnes of waste were produced by the UK alone - which, shockingly, was a 15% reduction from 2007. Households produced 6.6 million tonnes of food waste, which accumulated for 70% of the total waste produced. Manufacturers accounted for 16% whilst hospitality services made up 12%. On top of that, amongst the food that was wasted only 30% was considered “inedible.” The waste that was edible would have produced a total of 15 billion meals. Yet still thousands of families rely on food banks. With this waste costing £19 billion per year, and creating more than 25 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, there is absolutely no doubt that we need to make a change. Surprisingly, Covid-19 left a positive impact and led to a reduction in food waste. Surveys showed that 35% believed they had better food management whilst 30% began using up leftovers rather than discarding them. The Government has also supported the movement to decrease food waste, saying that they wish to halve food waste by 2030. Many campaigns and organisations have been created in order to tackle the UK’s food waste; in 2018, the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap was launched. This is a joint initiative between the organisations WRAP and IGD which aim to reduce food waste with milestones - a total of 261 organisations have committed to this plan.
Other organisations like the National Farmers’ Union have taken steps to address the food waste problem through the improvement of agronomic and breeding techniques, investment in new harvesting technologies and finding new markets for crops.
Whilst Fareshare, a large UK organisation, distributes excess foods to charities and community groups which make meals for the vulnerable. The Pig Idea is an organisation which turns waste into animal feed, whilst Guardians of Grub tackle waste problems in hospitality services.
There are plenty of ways in which you can help reduce food waste too! Apps like “Too Good To Go.” enables the collection of unsold food surplus from restaurants and stores, whilst “Nosh.” Gives you better management over your food by reminding you about expiry dates.
Begin putting your food waste to use: use leftovers to create new innovative meals! Understand the best ways to store your food and how food labelling works. Support local food producers and small businesses in the community! It’s time we reduce our food waste!
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