Plate to Planet: The Environmental Toll of Food Waste

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So, what is food waste?

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In simple terms, food waste refers to any food products that are thrown away instead of being consumed. Typically, this waste can be split into three main categories:

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By-product food waste: This refers to the leftover or unused parts of food items generated during production or processing, often not meant for human consumption. These can be vegetable scraps, such as peels, seeds, or trimmings.

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Positive spin: If done correctly these could be used for animal feed, compost, or even bioenergy.

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Expired products: These are foods that have stayed on the shelf longer than they should have. This happens with foods like fruits, veg, dairy, and other packaged goods that go past their 'use by' or 'best before' dates.

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Positive spin: You could organise your items by using the older ones first and trust your judgement on the freshness of your food, many items stay safe well past their expiration dates.

Leftovers: These refer to leftovers from restaurants and supermarkets, and are the food that didn't get sold or used up by the end of the day. This could be baked goods, deli items, or ready-to-eat meals which are absolutely fine to eat but didn't find a buyer in time.

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Positive spin: These leftovers can be given to charities, food banks, or groups like TooGoodToGo. These organisations can then share the food with people who will use it, cutting down on waste and helping the local community.

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But, how does food waste affect our planet?

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There are six main environmental factors contributing to the effects of food waste:

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Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Food waste decomposes, which then produces a harmful greenhouse gas called methane. Over a short amount of time, methane has a much higher warming potential than carbon dioxide subsequently adding to global warming.

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Resource Depletion: Food production requires extensive amounts of resources, including water, energy, and land. Wasting edible food also reflects the loss of these resources. Furthermore, the use of fertilisers and pesticides in food production contributes to soil and water pollution.‍

Loss of Biodiversity: When food is wasted, the resources used in its production, such as land and water, are also wasted. This leads to habitat destruction and fragmentation, displacing native species and reducing biodiversity.

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Energy Consumption: The entire food supply chain, from farming to transportation and storage, uses a significant amount of energy. Wasting food leads to the wastage of all the energy invested in its production and distribution.‍

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Water Usage: Food production requires large amounts of water for growing crops or raising animals. When we waste food, this significant water usage could have been allocated to other essential purposes or used for environmental preservation.‍

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Landfill Overload: Overloaded landfills lead to the decomposition of large quantities of wasted food, generating methane. Also, when landfills overflow it causes soil and water pollution, affecting nearby ecosystems and wildlife.

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What is the social and economic impact of food waste?

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Social Impact: Food waste has significant social impacts, affecting both the individuals and their communities. This means missed chances to tackle hunger and improve food security, especially for those most in need. At a community level, throwing away large amounts of edible food reveals inequalities in resource access and raises issues of fairness and social justice. Additionally, wasting food promotes a culture of disposal and undermines the value of food, which can lead to unsustainable consumption habits and a lack of appreciation for its true worth.

Economic impact: Food waste has impactful economic consequences, affecting many various sectors of the economy. Businesses can suffer financial losses due to wasted resources, such as the cost of production, transportation, and storage. Also, many households spend money on food that often goes to waste, leading to unnecessary costs. Additionally, food waste can drain community budgets as local governments have to allocate funds for waste management and disposal. Overall, from the beginning to the end, the economic impact of food waste extends across the entire supply chain contributing to wastefulness and financial strain on individuals, businesses, and governments.

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So, what’s the solution?

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Improving monitoring of waste: By monitoring how much food we throw out, we can learn where we're going wrong and try to fix it. It's not just about saving meals, it's also about saving the resources that were used to make the food.

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Making the food industry more circular: By turning the food industry into a ‘circle’, where everything gets used wisely, can have a massive positive impact on the environment. When we make it circular, instead of throwing things away, we find smart ways to reuse, recycle or turn them into something useful. This means less in our landfills and less strain on resources.

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Improving storage and transport: When we improve how we store and transport our food, we reduce the chances of it going bad or getting wasted. That means less energy used in producing replacements and less pressure on our land and water resources as well. ‍

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Incentivising farmers to harvest crops: When farmers have the right incentives to harvest everything they grow, it means less food left in the fields to go to waste. This not only boosts the farmer's income but also saves the resources that go into growing their crops. It's a double win as farmers get rewarded, and the environment gets a breather.‍

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Putting a price on organic waste: When we put a price on what we usually throw out, it motivates us to find better uses for it. Collection charges cover the cost of the service, this means only people using the service pay. This is an incentive for people to start composting at home (the best option), or to take their organic waste to their local recycling site.

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Scrapping best before dates: Often, food is perfectly fine beyond their best before dates, and getting rid of them could help us stop binning good food unnecessarily. This move can encourage us to trust our senses and use food wisely. It's not a safety thing; it's more about quality - think of it as the manufacturers using these dates to make sure we get the tastiest experience and enjoy their products.

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But, how can you help?

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Making a shopping list and sticking to it: By planning your purchases it can help prevent you from having impulse buys and allows you to only buy what you need, reducing the likelihood of food waste.

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Be realistic when food shopping, and don't buy more ingredients than you're likely to use: Consider your actual needs and avoid overbuying items that may spoil before you can use them.

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Don't shy away from buying less attractive (but still fresh!) produce: Buy imperfect fruits and vegetables to help reduce food waste at the production level and support efforts to minimise cosmetic standards in the food industry.

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If you only need a small amount of produce for a recipe, shop at supermarket counters or buy frozen instead: Opt for purchasing loose produce or frozen options for ingredients you won't consume entirely to avoid waste from large packaging sizes.

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Follow expiration dates marked as a general guide, not a hard and fast rule: While it's important to be mindful of expiration dates, trust your senses and judgement to determine your food’s freshness, as many foods remain safe and edible beyond these dates.

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Try making a food waste list for 2 weeks, marking down what you tend to throw out: Keeping track of your discarded food items helps identify patterns and areas for improvement in your habits, allowing you to make changes to reduce waste.

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Get creative with leftovers: Instead of throwing away your leftovers, repurpose them into new meals or snacks to extend their shelf life and minimise waste (this will also save you money!)

Despite the huge amount of food wasted while many people lack enough to eat, our planet also faces significant harm. Throwing out food affects the environment and worsens social and economic issues. Every single one of us has a responsibility to educate ourselves in ways that benefit not only the planet but also those in need. While it may seem overwhelming, small steps and minor changes in your daily life will contribute to the greater good.

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Moving in the right direction:

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Solveiga Pakštaitė is behind the label you touch to determine food freshness, initially working on a design project to assist people with visual impairments, not to address the issue of environmental food waste - it was during this project that she conceived the idea for a tactile food spoilage indicator.

‍https://www.positive.news/society/the-label-you-touch-to-know-if-your-foods-gone-bad-and-the-woman-pioneering-it/

The AuREUS system is an innovative upgrade for walls and windows. It uses recycled crop waste technology to absorb excess UV light from the sun and convert it into clean and renewable electricity.

‍https://www.jamesdysonaward.org/2020/project/aureus-aurora-renewable-energy-uv-sequestration

Useful websites:

• FareShare: FareShare is a national network of charitable food redistributors. The food they send is nutritious and good to eat. It is sent all across the UK to those in need. (fareshare.org.uk)

• Love Food Hate Waste (LFHW): Provides practical tips and recipes to help reduce food waste at home. (lovefoodhatewaste.com)
• Olio: A mobile app for giving away, getting, borrowing or lending things in your community for free, aiming to reduce household and food waste. (olioapp.com)
• Too Good To Go: A mobile app that connects users with local restaurants and stores selling surplus food at a discounted price. (toogoodtogo.co.uk)
• The Zero Waste Chef: Although not UK-specific, this blog by Anne-Marie Bonneau offers zero-waste recipes and tips that can be applied globally. (zerowastechef.com)

Useful podcasts:

• The Food Chain (BBC World Service): Explores various aspects of the global food industry, including topics related to food waste.
• The Deliciously Ella Podcast: While not exclusively focused on food waste, it often covers sustainable eating and mindful consumption.
• The Food Programme (BBC Radio 4): Tackles diverse food-related issues, including discussions on reducing food waste.

Useful influencers:

• Lorna Cooper (@feedyourfamily): Renowned for her wallet-friendly food recipes, money-saving cooking tips, and showcasing promotions for savvy shopping and savings.
• Jack Monroe (@BootstrapCook): Known for budget-friendly and creative recipes, often emphasising the importance of reducing food waste.
• Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall (@HughFW): Chef and campaigner against food waste. His initiatives like "War on Waste" have drawn attention to the issue.
• Melissa Hemsley (@MelissaHemsley): Chef and cookbook author with a focus on sustainable and waste-conscious cooking.

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