It’s likely we’ve all been guilty of it at some point. Many of us probably guilty of it more than once. The issue of wasting food is one that’s causing a lot of headaches for those in the industry, but it should really be something you’re aware of too. Now, if you’re anything like me – prone to impulsivity and shopping on an empty stomach – there have probably been a few times where you’ve overbought and not really taken into account whether everything you’ve purchased will be used.
The main reason those involved in food recycling are having headaches is, because of its individualistic nature, there is no hard and fast solution to the problem of food going to waste. But with over 15% of food and drink wasted in the UK each year and £480 per household per year spent on avoidable food and drink waste – as well as household recycling rates in England stalling at a 44.2% average – it’s not altogether ludicrous to start considering how we can be more conscientious of our spending and eating habits.
By now you may be thinking “But I recycle at home with a composter!” and that’s great, but purchasing food more wisely and planning meals slightly edges the competition in terms of efficiency. Why’s that? Because although the process of composting has a lot of perks such as providing free organic fertiliser, it can still produce CO2 and occasional methane. While it is a far superior alternative to having the waste taken to disposal sites – where it breaks down anaerobically (without oxygen) and produces lots of methane – by using up all of your products in the first place, you reduce your global footprint hugely but also save money. It really is a win-win situation.
Image courtesy of Shropshire Council
With all that said, it’s not just household food recycling that’s in need of a bit of a shake-up. According to the Digest of Waste and Resource statistics, in the year 2013, restaurants got rid of their entire food waste either by using residual waste sites or sink disposal units. However, this isn’t to say that the problem is being ignored, as shown by the plight of campaigns such as Too Good to Waste, whose aim is to raise ‘both consumer and industry awareness about the appalling scale of restaurant food waste.’
One of their great ideas for reducing restaurant food waste – backed by a plethora of well-known chefs including Anthony Worrall Thompson – is the “doggy box.” Originating from and popular in America, British chefs like Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall are ‘quite happy with the idea [of doggy boxes] – this isn’t something that is frowned-on. Frankly most of us take it as a compliment.’ Through casting aside our British humility and implementing such simple methods like the doggy box, the problem of food waste starts to become more manageable, and with food waste being ‘the no.1 material that goes into landfill and incinerators,’ it’s something that really needs to be addressed.
Obviously, food waste isn’t something that only affects the UK, though in some countries the causes and reasons for it may differ. In developed countries such as ours, consumers tend to be the cause of the waste whereas in developing countries, the main problem is post-harvest loss occurring due to the lack of appropriate technology and infrastructure. As a result of the international problem, the ‘need to undertake action in partnership with organizations … and global companies’ is of paramount importance and ‘a concert of actions and interactions by millions of people, at multiple points in many value chains, in numerous countries’ is what’s needed to combat food waste.
But why does what’s happening in other countries matter to people in the UK? Simple: it’s all about learning from one another. In India, the use of triple-layered storage bags that protect grains from infestation has accelerated in popularity and reduced food loss, and Thomson Reuters has provided localised agricultural information via SMS to 1.4 million Indian farmers across 50,000 villages.
Closer to home, the UK’s first “Community Shop” was opened in Goldthorpe, South Yorkshire. The shop – open only to those ‘receiving benefits and living on one side of the 50 eligible roads’ – sells food deemed unfit for sale at supermarkets at a discounted price, though all products are within their expiry dates. Rather than being sent to landfill sites and having to pay its tax, the ‘poorly aligned Muller yoghurts,’ amongst others, are instead resold to those struggling. Not only does it provide relief for those in need as well as a food recycling alternative, there are also plans to open a café featuring a chef who will teach customers how to turn products into healthy meals. On top of that, the staff who work there are not from a retail background but are instead health and social care professionals stationed there to converse with customers and advise them on their purchases, suggesting ‘a bag of ingredients for a fresh lasagne as an alternative to the lasagne ready meal.’ Clearly, the idea is about providing a sustainable, rather than sporadic, solution which allows people more nutritional autonomy.
It’s an idea that’s catching on too, with 20 other shops planned nationwide if the trial store in Goldthorpe proves to be a success. Not only that, but it’s proof that the partnerships and interactions between others are necessary, considering that the idea of “social supermarkets” have been helping out various countries such as France, Belgium and Switzerland since the 1980s. Concepts like the “Community Shops” are ones that make food recycling a lot easier and are also ones that need to be shared.
Looking at other countries also helps highlight issues that may already be or may become relevant closer to home too. A report in America recently showed that more than 90% of Americans disposed of food prematurely because they misunderstood the expiry dates to be indicators of safety rather than of quality. Although such a report brings to the fore the issues faced by advocates of food recycling and waste reduction because it is the ‘first comprehensive look at the loose patchwork of state regulations governing date labels,’ it also proves that important conversations are taking place, and people are starting to become aware of such uninformed carelessness. With the UK potentially facing an ‘agricultural crisis’ in the form of a paucity of harvests due to intensive farming, and a ‘growing population demanding more food from finite land and water resources,’ the ‘education for consumers about the intent of the product dates’ could not have come at a better time.
As has been shown, the topic of food recycling and food waste is vast and nuanced. There are reasons for concern, but there are also many practical and affordable reasons to help avoid such drastic future outcomes. With companies like Kompakt – dedicated to making sure as little food as possible is wasted – and projects like “Community Shop” growing in popularity, it’s clear that a lot of people are taking steps in the right direction. Food waste is never a good thing, regardless of how it happens, but with ideas to reduce the problem seemingly at every corner, it’s something that, with the right attitude, can be fought against easily and quickly.