According to studies, almost 26,000 tonnes of food are discarded in Singapore households. Several people buy junk food that they need and then waste it at home. Wasting food has become a habit of the people, and such actions put pressure on the environment and harm the ecosystem. Food waste is a burning issue around the globe today. Producing more food may not be enough to achieve food sustainability; instead, people should recognize the value of food and minimize waste.
People are unaware of the time and effort needed to cultivate crops. Food waste is widespread in wealthy countries. A recent survey revealed that Singapore wasted about 12 percent of the food produced. The amount of food thrown away is increasing every year. The article helps you know what is food waste, and how to manage it.
What is food waste?
Food waste refers to food fit for human use abandoned, whether it is held beyond its expiration date or left to expire. It is mostly related to food spoilage but is also due to other factors such as market surplus or individual customer shopping/eating habits.
Food waste refers to any food lost due to deterioration or waste.
What are the consequences of food waste?
Throwing away food is wasting money, natural resources, human labor, time, effort, and many other things. When food is wasted, it is not available to those in need. Millions of people are suffering from malnutrition and hunger because of food scarcity.
Food-waste has an impact on the environment because it produces harmful microorganisms and raises greenhouse gases, which contribute to climate change. Methane gas, which is more destructive than any other greenhouse gas emissions, is produced by a huge portion of the food waste dumped in landfills.
Food waste causes a shortage of food and a rise in food demand. Moreover, it will result in deforestation, land degradation, biodiversity, natural habitat destruction, and environmental deterioration for farming more food.
How can we reduce food waste?
Millions of people around the world go hungry every day. Therefore, understanding how to limit food waste is critical in the current situation. A few changes in habits could save a substantial amount of food. Some good practices for saving food for others and the future are as follows:
- The buying habits of people are changing owing to their contemporary lifestyle. They feel allured to buy more than they need with attractive offers and discounts in malls, supermarkets, and other self-service outlets.
- Don’t succumb to bargains and purchase more than you want. Make a grocery list before you go. It will allow you to save money, recognize your needs, and reduce food-waste.
- Store food wisely by putting old food in the first row and new food behind. It will allow you to use up old food before it spoils. Use airtight jars to protect the food from rotting.
- Freeze any leftovers and utilize them within the next day or two. If you do not eat everything you make, save it in the chest freezer and use it later. You can even repurpose the leftovers by incorporating them into another dish.
- Only order what you need.
Food waste occurs at every stage of the food chain, from manufacturing to qualitative processing and shipping to retail sales and preparation to consumption. Experts assist in resolving this issue by conducting numerous studies and identifying the best food waste management solutions. To address this issue, many companies, like DBS Foundation, provide the best food resource recovery Singapore solutions like Boon Poh. Discover some methods for recycling food waste.
Redistribute
You can give the leftover food to those who need it. Several community partners and business volunteers across several locations collect excess food from events and functions and distribute it to underprivileged people rather than dumping it in landfills. DBS Hong Kong, for example, collaborates with a charitable group named Food link Foundation to give food to the underprivileged.
Recycling
People squander a lot of food at cafeterias and restaurants and then throw it away. Such foodstuff can be transformed into organic manure and utilized to feed plants. The edible garden city decomposes coffee grounds from coffee shops and cafés into fertilizers. The “Zero Grounds Coffee Campaign” by Eco-Greenery encourages people to recycle coffee grounds into soap, flowerpots, and compost.
Why should food waste be recycled?
Every day, an average household waste 1.5 kg of food. You can avoid 50 percent of foodwaste by preparing new recipes using the leftovers, or by recycling the wasted food. So, what is the significance of recycling food waste?
Ensure food sustainability through Food waste recycling
A robust food management system makes it simple to create a more sustainable environment. When everyone generates, manages, and lowers food expire, it helps to ensure sustainability and saves the planet for future generations. Food waste anaerobic decomposition and solutions aid in the rapid decomposition of waste food and the transformation of waste food into decomposing waste.
When food waste decomposes, it emits hazardous gases such as methane. It also consumes land and hurts the environment. Methane in the atmosphere contributes to pollution and climate change.
Safe and clean environment
Food waste attracts bugs and bacteria, resulting in contamination and foul odours. It has the potential to damage water, land, air, and other natural resources. As a result, it calls for proper food expire recycling to preserve nature and provide a safe and clean environment.
Now you have an idea about what food waste is and how to reduce and recycle food waste. You can solve all your food scarcity and food-waste recycling issues with a healthy food-waste approach to food production! Efficient professionals can assist you in reducing food waste and saving the environment.
