Waste Food Waste Money, Bye Environment

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimate, that about 795 million people out of 7.3 billion people in the world were suffering from chronic undernourishment in 2014-2016. Yet, about a third of the food worldwide goes to waste. Food waste or food loss is food that is discarded or lost or uneaten. The causes of food waste or loss are numerous, and occur at the stages of production, processing, retailing and consumption. In developing countries, most loss occurs during production, while in developed countries much food is wasted at the consumption stage. Most Malaysians waste food at the consumption stage especially during festive season or any occasions. Most of people would prepare or purchase in excess to ensure food does not run out during the event. Then, the leftover food would be end up in the bins. According to Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), Malaysians waste about 15,000 metric tonnes of food daily and out of this, 3,000 metric tonnes are untouched and edible leftover food. It is equivalent to three decent meals a day for 5.3 million people.  Meanwhile, according to National Solid Waste Management Department, about 31% - 45% of an average of 36, 000 tonnes of garbage generated annually. It is estimated that the volume of food waste in Peninsular Malaysia by 2020 is enough to fill up 16 times Petronas Twin Towers. Surprisingly, the largest contributor of solid waste comes from households.

Wasting food is not only an ethical and economic issue but food waste also giving an adverse impact to the environment. Specifically food waste deteriorates the quality of the environment, has negative impact on food security and depletes the limited natural resources. Food wasting not only wastes money but it also causes water wastage. Agriculture sector uses a vast amount of freshwater to supply adequate water to the crops. According to the World Water Assessment Program the sector accounts for 70 percent of all water use around the world. Also, food preparation needs a plentiful amount of water to wash the ingredients and the dishes.

Furthermore, farm equipment that is used to feed and maintain livestock, plant and harvest crops use diesel fuel and other fuel sources which come from fossil fuels. When people waste meat and vegetables, these fuels as well as fertilizers, are also wasted. So food wasting causes energy wasting. In fact, food processing also use a lot of diesel fuel. The food and beverages industry is the highest energy consumption industry compared to other industries. They operate day and night everyday. In addition, food waste needs to be transported to waste treatment plants or incinerators hence more fuel is needed for transportation. So the more food is wasted the more fuel is wasted for transportation and for food processing. According to Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) the embedded energy costs of producing, packaging and transporting the food is equivalent at least 15 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.

Moreover, the disposal of food waste at landfill sites is actually the largest source of harmful greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the country thus it makes a significant contribution to global warming. Rotting food release methane gas, which is one of the most harmful greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Methane is 23 times more potent than CO₂ as a greenhouse gas. Surprisingly, according to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), less than 3% of food waste was recovered and recycled in 2010. Thus the other 97% of food waste will remain at dump site, releasing more methane gas. Reducing food waste has clear benefits for climate change mitigation. According to WRAP 2015, an astonishing 7% of all global greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), or 3.3 billion tonnes per year, are due to food waste. WRAP estimates that by 2030 GHGs could be lowered by at least 0.2 and possibly as much as 1 billion tonnes per year through food waste reductions.

Reducing food waste is good for the economy, good for food security and good for the climate. Reducing food waste is one of the steps to reduce ‘carbon footprint’ as we cut down the methane gas released by food waste. Food waste reduction must be undertaken by all.  In fact, it should be started at home since the majority of food waste occurs at home. There are number of tips that can be taken by the consumers in order to prevent from food wasting. For example, make a list of meals weekly in mind before shopping and cook in the exact quantity. Furthermore, government and business entities need to plan the best strategy to address the problem of food wastage. Educational programs and awareness campaigns should be implemented more actively so that consumers will be alert on the impact of food wastage to the domestic economy.