November 2, 2021
Food Rush: How excess food is changing the planet’s climate
"If you can imagine a string of 23 million 40-ton trucks loaded to the brim, standing right next to each other, bumper to bumper, and you can wrap the Earth seven times with it, then this is exactly what we are talking about," Tom Quested, an analyst at the nonprofit WRAP organization, describes the amount of food sent to landfill annually.
At the same time, 690 million people (which is 9% of the population) are hungry, about 2 billion. do not have regular access to safe food, 3 billion they cannot afford a healthy balanced diet and eat only food that provides minimal need for the most essential nutrients. First of all, these are residents of poor regions of Asia (1.9 billion) and Africa (965 million). The most prosperous parts of the world in this sense are North America and Europe (18 million in total).
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the current volume of food losses "outrageous from a moral point of view."
But it's not just about the moral component. Discarded and rotting products in landfills account for 8 to 10% of greenhouse gas emissions produced in the world. "If food were an independent country, it would be the third source of greenhouse gases after the United States and China," says Max La Manna, a New York chef and author of the book "More Plants, Less Waste" ("More Plants, Less Waste").
And this is only direct harm from discarded food. And if we consider that electricity, water and other resources were spent on its production, transportation and storage, the scale of the disaster becomes even greater.
61% of the discarded food waste falls on households, 26% - on cafes and restaurants, 13% - on retail stores. 14% of food is thrown away before it goes on sale. 25% of these losses are root crops (beets, carrots), tubers (potatoes, yams) and oilseeds (peanuts, corn, soybeans, sunflower). More than 20% falls on vegetables and fruits, 10% - on meat and animal products.
In March 2020, there was an average of 121 kg of discarded food per year for every inhabitant of the planet. In Russia, this figure is one of the lowest in the world — 33 kg per person per year. Greece is the leader among European countries — they throw out 142 kg of food per person per year.
In total, about 17 million tons of food waste are generated annually in Russia. If we add losses during production and storage, the total volume will be 42 million tons per year.
Is it possible to change this situation?
In many countries, there is a food-sharing system. Its meaning is that at the end of the day, products with an expiring expiration date or ready meals that can no longer be sold tomorrow are transferred from shops and restaurants to volunteer food savers. They deliver food to charities or targeted families in need. This system originated in Germany, and since 2015 it has been operating in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Many cafes and restaurants sell out the remaining dishes at the end for a 50-80% discount. It can be purchased through the EatMe, LastBox, DoggyBag, etc. applications.
Of course, this also does not guarantee that, having got to the end consumer, the food will not end up in the trash in the end. Therefore, it is necessary to take a responsible approach to its purchase and use.
To do this, it is enough to follow simple rules:
1. Plan purchases and take as much as necessary. A pleasant bonus will be budget savings.
2. Store the products correctly.
3. Use what you buy. Carefully check the portions so that there are no uneaten leftovers.
4. Use freezing. If the shelf life of the product is coming to an end or you have a ready-made dish, they can be frozen. Most of the prepared dishes retain almost the same taste and nutritional properties. Frozen vegetables, cheese, sausage after defrosting can be added to stew, sauce or pizza.
If you still bought too much, there are specialized groups in social networks that allow you to share food with those who need it.
Reducing the amount of food waste is one of the easiest ways to reduce our personal impact on the climate, and following these rules will help make the world a better place.
At the same time, 690 million people (which is 9% of the population) are hungry, about 2 billion. do not have regular access to safe food, 3 billion they cannot afford a healthy balanced diet and eat only food that provides minimal need for the most essential nutrients. First of all, these are residents of poor regions of Asia (1.9 billion) and Africa (965 million). The most prosperous parts of the world in this sense are North America and Europe (18 million in total).
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the current volume of food losses "outrageous from a moral point of view."
But it's not just about the moral component. Discarded and rotting products in landfills account for 8 to 10% of greenhouse gas emissions produced in the world. "If food were an independent country, it would be the third source of greenhouse gases after the United States and China," says Max La Manna, a New York chef and author of the book "More Plants, Less Waste" ("More Plants, Less Waste").
And this is only direct harm from discarded food. And if we consider that electricity, water and other resources were spent on its production, transportation and storage, the scale of the disaster becomes even greater.
61% of the discarded food waste falls on households, 26% - on cafes and restaurants, 13% - on retail stores. 14% of food is thrown away before it goes on sale. 25% of these losses are root crops (beets, carrots), tubers (potatoes, yams) and oilseeds (peanuts, corn, soybeans, sunflower). More than 20% falls on vegetables and fruits, 10% - on meat and animal products.
In March 2020, there was an average of 121 kg of discarded food per year for every inhabitant of the planet. In Russia, this figure is one of the lowest in the world — 33 kg per person per year. Greece is the leader among European countries — they throw out 142 kg of food per person per year.
In total, about 17 million tons of food waste are generated annually in Russia. If we add losses during production and storage, the total volume will be 42 million tons per year.
Is it possible to change this situation?
In many countries, there is a food-sharing system. Its meaning is that at the end of the day, products with an expiring expiration date or ready meals that can no longer be sold tomorrow are transferred from shops and restaurants to volunteer food savers. They deliver food to charities or targeted families in need. This system originated in Germany, and since 2015 it has been operating in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Many cafes and restaurants sell out the remaining dishes at the end for a 50-80% discount. It can be purchased through the EatMe, LastBox, DoggyBag, etc. applications.
Of course, this also does not guarantee that, having got to the end consumer, the food will not end up in the trash in the end. Therefore, it is necessary to take a responsible approach to its purchase and use.
To do this, it is enough to follow simple rules:
1. Plan purchases and take as much as necessary. A pleasant bonus will be budget savings.
2. Store the products correctly.
3. Use what you buy. Carefully check the portions so that there are no uneaten leftovers.
4. Use freezing. If the shelf life of the product is coming to an end or you have a ready-made dish, they can be frozen. Most of the prepared dishes retain almost the same taste and nutritional properties. Frozen vegetables, cheese, sausage after defrosting can be added to stew, sauce or pizza.
If you still bought too much, there are specialized groups in social networks that allow you to share food with those who need it.
Reducing the amount of food waste is one of the easiest ways to reduce our personal impact on the climate, and following these rules will help make the world a better place.
Read more
April 12, 2024
April 5, 2024