According to various reports, about a third of our food in SA ends up at landfill sites. Of this, fruits, vegetables and cereals account for 70% of the wastage and loss primarily throughout the food supply chain – from farm to fork and has been valued at R61.5 billion, while a study notes that the average annual cost of household food waste is R21.7 million.
Can we afford that in a country that is suffering the effects of global warming and drought and where roughly 12 million people go hungry every day?
The WWF has published a new report that showcases the level of food waste globally, including South Africa, the report at a glance mentions:
The energy wasted every year in South Africa for producing food that is not eaten is estimated as enough to power the City of Johannesburg for roughly 16 weeks. The wasted embedded water would fill over 600 000 Olympic swimming pools – a massive waste for SA, the 30th driest country on the planet. About 90% of waste in SA is disposed of to landfills, where the food-waste component leads to the production of methane gas and carbon dioxide. Successfully cutting food loss and waste is a chance to turn around severe food insecurity felt by significant portions of the population.
Reasons for household food waste include date codes - specifically sell-by and expiry dates, product appearance, forgotten produce in fridges and cupboards, poor protection due to packaging not being resealable, preparing too much, slow consumption, pests or buying too much. Some of the most wasted fruits and vegetables include bananas, apples, avos, tomatoes, potatoes and lettuce.
What is the difference between food loss and food waste?
Food Loss is the decrease in the quantity or quality of food resulting from decisions and actions by food suppliers in the chain excluding retailers, food service providers and consumers. Food waste refers to the decrease in the quantity or quality of food resulting from decisions and actions of retailers, food service providers and consumers.
Nine easy everyday tips to fighting food waste, according to the FAO are ask for smaller portions, love your left overs, shop smart, buy the “ugly” fruit and vegetables, check you fridge, practive FIFO(First in, first out), understand dates on your food, turn waste into compost and lastly sharing is caring.
Mitas Corporation has a number of solutions that can aid in the reduction of food waste and loss, some of these from Informed Decisions, a division of Mitas are:
Tracepack, a Division of Mitas Corporation also has a few solutions:
Discover more at:
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