In 2019, during the 74th United Nations General Assembly 29th of September was designated as the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW) in recognition of the fundamental role that sustainable food production plays in promoting food security and nutrition.
Food wastage and food security are very important issues and especially so for our country, where a significant percentage of the population does not know where their next meal will come from and another group of people is wasting food that is enough to feed these hungry people. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) provides that about 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted globally every year. This is about one third of all the food produced for human consumption, and it could feed more than 875 million people who go hungry every day. We are talking about food that is produced and, in most cases, availed to people. We are talking about the loss and waste of food that is already available.
There are two major ways in which food is lost; food loss and food waste. Food loss refers to the food that is lost during the early stages of production such as during harvesting, storage and transportation. The reasons for this kind of loss range from poor storage and transport infrastructure, over-production as a way of dealing with unforeseen adverse weather conditions, to high aesthetic standards by retailers such that food with slight blemishes ends up lost. This loss is especially rampant in low-income/developing countries, with up to 83% of this food wasted this way. 83% guys! That is a lot of loss.
Food waste, on the other hand, is that which is lost during later stages of production. Most of this food is usually fit for human consumption but is thrown away for aesthetic reasons. This especially happen in the supermarkets, the hospitality industry, and in the homes of consumers. Sometimes, people buy a surplus of food, only for it to go bad before it is consumed. This is the major way in which food is lost in developed countries but it is pretty rampant in countries like Kenya as well. This reality exposes a lot of gaps in the food production line and in our society as well, and how we deal with our social problems.
There are so many steps within the line of production in which we can salvage some of the food that is lost because this is both a social and an ethical issue. One of these ways is value addition of food that is less than perfect. Fruit that is slightly bruised can be used to make juices and smoothies and excess milk can be turned to yogurt. Proper storage is another way to avoid wastage and includes simple methods such as drying your grains and onions well before storage. It is also up to us to purchase and cook exactly what we need instead of throwing away platefuls of food every morning because we are craving something else already. It is also up to us to find ways to get the surplus we have to those that do not have any.
All the food industries we have today are solely geared towards dealing with the surplus that farmers produce, preserving it to prevent loss, and adding value to it, availing it to consumers who did not have access to it previously. Other organizations, usually non-profit, are seeking ways to avail food to those that have none.
As we acknowledge the problem of food loss and food waste and celebrate this day, IDAFLW, think of ways you have been contributing to the problem and how you can start being part of a solution.
As usual, herein is a list of resources for further reading.
International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste https://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/food_waste/international-day_en#:~:text=The%20inaugural%20celebration%20of%20the,place%20on%2029%20September%202020.
A new International Day with a difficult starting point https://www.un.org/en/observances/end-food-waste-day/background#:~:text=That%20is%20why%2C%20in%202019,promoting%20food%20security%20and%20nutrition.
Global Food Waste and its Environmental Impact https://en.reset.org/knowledge/global-food-waste-and-its-environmental-impact-09122018
International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste http://www.fao.org/international-day-awareness-food-loss-waste/en/
Partnering to Reduce Food Waste in Kenya https://www.technoserve.org/blog/partnering-to-reduce-food-waste-in-kenya/
Combatting malnutrition, food waste, and climate change through sustainable agribusiness
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