Take steps to prevent food waste

IT is indeed shocking to know from news reports that approximately 3,000 tonnes of food that are thrown away daily in Malaysia are preventable food waste. According to the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi), citing statistics from the solid waste and public cleansing management service operator, SW Corporation, most of the food discarded were still edible.

The issue of food waste is neither new nor confined to our country. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), roughly one-third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year, or approximately 1.3 billion tonnes, get lost or wasted, and consumers in rich countries waste as much as 222 million tonnes of food annually.

Food waste refers to food that are discarded, lost or not eaten. Food waste is due to many factors and can happen at the stages of production, processing, retailing and consumption.

According to studies conducted by organisations involved in the prevention of food waste, in low-income countries, food waste or loss occurs mainly during the production process while in developed countries food is wasted during the consumption stage.

Food loss and waste, according to the UNEP website, amounts to a major squandering of resources, including water, land, energy, labour and capital, and also contributes to global warming and climate change.

The Government initiated the Save Food Malaysia Programme (MySaveFood) last year in a bid to reduce food loss and food waste in this country.

The programme was based on the Save Food Campaign, a global initiative introduced by the Messe Duseldorf Group in Berlin in 2011 in collaboration with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Our lawmakers can also consider adopting the French step. Under a law passed by the French senate recently, supermarkets are banned from throwing away or destroying unsold food. They have to donate these to charities and food banks instead.

It would be good if a similar law is introduced in our country. Besides preventing food waste, Malaysians can also become a leader in combating the problem of food waste in the region.

DR MUZAFFAR SYAH MALLOW

Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia