Impact of food wastage

THE United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates that about 795 million of the world’s 7.3 billion population suffer from chronic undernourishment now. Yet, about a third of the food worldwide goes to waste.

Food waste or food loss is food that is discarded or lost or left 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 losses occur during production while in developed countries food is wasted mainly at the consumption stage. Most Malaysians waste food at the consumption stage, especially during festive occasions.

According to the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi), Malaysians waste about 15,000 metric tonnes of food daily. Of this, 3,000 metric tonnes are untouched leftovers that are still edible. This amount is equivalent to three decent meals a day for 5.3 million people.

Meanwhile, according to the National Solid Waste Management Department, food accounts for between 31% and 45% of the 36,000 tonnes of garbage Malaysians generate annually.

It is estimated that the volume of food waste in peninsular Malaysia by 2020 would fill up the entire Petronas Twin Towers 16 times.

Surprisingly, the largest contributor of solid waste are households.

Wasting food is not only an ethical and economic issue but also an environmental concern. On the economic side, it threatens food security through depletion of the limited natural resources. The agriculture sector uses a vast amount of fresh water for growing crops.

According to the World Water Assessment Programme, agriculture accounts for 70% of all water use around the world. Food preparation also requires a plentiful supply of water.

Furthermore, farm equipment used to feed and maintain livestock and to plant and harvest crops use diesel and other fuel sources. When people waste meat and vegetables, the resources used in their production will also be wasted. Thus, wasting food also means wasting energy.

Food waste also needs to be transported to treatment plants or incinerators, hence more fuel is needed for transportation. So the more food wasted, the more fuel is needed for transportation and for processing.

According to the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), a charity based in England, the embedded energy costs of producing, packaging and transporting food is equivalent to at least 15 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.

Rotting food releases methane gas, one of the most harmful greenhouse gases(GHG) that has been found to contribute to climate change. Methane is 23 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas.

Surprisingly, according to our Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), less than 3% of food waste was recovered and recycled in 2010, leaving 97% in the landfills to produce methane.

Reducing food waste has clear benefits for climate change mitigation. According to a WRAP 2015 report, an astonishing 7% of all global greenhouse gas emissions, or 3.3 billion tonnes per year, are due to food waste.

WRAP estimates that by 2030, GHGs could be reduced by at least 0.2 and possibly as much as one billion tonnes per year just by decreasing food waste.

Everyone must be involved in food waste reduction. Start at home since the majority of food waste occurs here. For example, make a list of meals weekly before shopping and cook the exact quantity required.

Government and business entities must also plan the best strategies to address the problem of food wastage. Educational programmes and awareness campaigns should be implemented more actively to remind consumers of the impact of food wastage to the domestic economy.

NUR IMANI ABDULLAH

Water & Energy Consumer Association

Petaling Jaya