Stop Food Waste

Food Waste

When we think of food waste we usually think of the end – the brown bin, the compost heap, clearing out the fridge. But really, the reasons we waste food occur before this point. By making small changes to how we plan, shop and prepare food we can cut our food waste and save money at the same time. Reducing food waste should start before we even go to the shops!

What Foods are Wasted Most?

We are all creatures of habit and when it comes to food we often throw out the same types of food, for the same reasons, on a regular basis.

To stop wasting food you first need to become aware of what and how much you throw out. Being aware of this is the first step to reducing the food, and money you waste. So when you’re shopping or eating, watch out for these foods especially and you will save twice:

• by buying less food and

• by having less to dispose of

It has been found that the main foods that are regularly thrown out are:

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The Environmental Impact of Food Waste

The environmental costs of food waste for Ireland are huge. But, when you think about the whole food cycle globally, they become absolutely massive.

In Ireland we are generating at least 1 million tonnes of food waste each year. While some is anaerobically digested to make biogas, composted or rendered for animal food much of it still ends up in landfills or incinerated. But this is only part of the problem, there is a whole load of environmental impacts long before we the consumers dispose of our food waste.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) calculates that 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted each year, directly contributing to food shortages, water stress, unnecessary biodiversity loss, and increased greenhouse gas emissions. This means that, after America and China, food waste is the 3rd largest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions with 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2 a year. This is approximately 10% of global carbon emissions!

But what does this mean?

Well, 1.4 billion hectares of land, which is equivalent to 28 per cent of the world’s agricultural area or 200 Irelands, is used to produce food that is then lost or wasted.
In addition, each year three times the water that flows through Russia’s Volga river is required to produce food that is ultimately wasted.
As a result of all this, the economic losses associated with food loss, excluding seafood, are estimated to reach €550bn a year. And this at a time when the global population is getting ever bigger and putting a huge strain on the existing food supplies
With all of these negative effects, reducing global food waste has been identified as one of the most effective ways to fight climate change.