We might think that wasting a few bites doesn’t make much of a difference, but the truth is, food waste is a global crisis that occurs at every stage of the supply chain, from production to consumption. The most significant food waste happens in homes and restaurants, where people waste half of the food due to over-purchasing, neglecting expiration dates, and cooking too much. After that, in grocery stores and supermarkets, due to issues like expiration dates, poor appearance, or overstocking, about 40% of food is removed from the shelves. During transportation, especially in developing countries, due to spoilage and inadequate infrastructure, up to 40% of fruits and vegetables may go bad. In farms and during harvesting, about 10-15% of crops are wasted due to adverse conditions and low standards. So, although we might think that throwing away a few bites of food doesn’t matter, food waste from the table to the farms leads to a significant loss of natural and economic resources.
But did you know that?
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Around one-third of all food produced each year ends up in the trash.
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In Europe, about 88 million tons of food are wasted every year. This equals 173 kilograms of food per person.
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To produce the wasted food in Europe, approximately 250 million liters of water are consumed. This amount of water would be enough to irrigate 9 million hectares of agricultural land.
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If only 25% of the food that is wasted was properly used, we could reduce hunger for 870 million people worldwide.
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In the United States, around 40% of all food produced is wasted. This amounts to about $165 billion annually.
Now, let’s consider how food waste harms the environment:
Food waste not only depletes natural resources but also causes serious environmental damage. Producing food requires a lot of water, energy, and land. For example, producing one kilogram of beef requires 15,000 liters of water. When food is wasted, all of these resources are unnecessarily lost. Additionally, food waste generates greenhouse gases, as food rotting in landfills produces methane, a gas with a significant impact on global warming. Approximately 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from food waste. Furthermore, to produce food, natural land is converted into agricultural or pasture land, leading to loss of biodiversity and habitat destruction. Chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides used in food production can enter the soil and water during waste, contributing to environmental pollution. Finally, all the energy used for producing, transporting, and storing food—mostly derived from fossil fuels—goes to waste, contributing to further pollution and climate change. Therefore, food waste is a serious environmental threat that needs to be addressed.
Small decisions create the biggest changes (The Butterfly Effect)
If each of us pays attention to the efficient use of food, these small changes will eventually have a significant global impact. At the bottom of the pyramid, it starts with people who make the first steps by buying the right amount of food, using leftovers, and preventing waste at home. These small changes motivate businesses and supermarkets to optimize their supply chains and reduce food waste. Next, producers and factories move towards more resource-efficient methods by changing production practices and reducing waste. At the next level, policymakers and governments support these changes by creating supportive laws and regulations. Ultimately, these collective efforts reach a global scale and can have a significant impact on reducing climate change and preserving natural resources. In other words, change starts with an individual, and gradually builds a better world for everyone.
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