SAVING from FOOD FOOD WASTE
When I was five years old the food that I did not eat was thrown to the trash and that happens a lot nowadays, and not only at my house. All around the world food is wasted. More than 1 billion euro of food per year. There are many reasons that explain food waste but in this blog we will talk about the three major causes.
The amount of food that is wasted in the world can be exemplified in many ways, to worrying: developed countries waste between 250 and 300 kilos per person per year.
Zero waste is unattainable, but the scope for improvement is really low. Jose Antonio Cuesta, author of the study, explains that there is no statistical series that allows observing trends, but is convinced That it is not going down. "The only reliable data we have is from the US and UK, where waste has grown in recent years. We can not take These countries as a reference, since they have very specific socioeconomic characteristics That Are not extrapolable to a large part of the world , but they do show That much remains to be done, "he summarizes.
The solutions are multiple, some of a great economic cost in infrastructures, That others require only small investments and some concern That the awareness of consumers and distributors. The Majority of the unnecessary expenditure of food is distributed in the phases of consumption , production and storage of food .
Across the globe, countries are Implementing formulas to tackle this waste. Between them:
Developing countries
1. Steam refrigerators. Storage systems in developing countries can be affected by many factors: power outages, monsoons, conflicts That delay delivery. To prevent food temperatures from being dependent on electricity, countries like Tanzania or India are using refrigerators That use the steam generated by the food itself When given the sun to maintain its temperature. This Prevents some crops from being spoiled by heat.
2. Rigid boxes. Solutions as simple as using rigid boxes similar to Those used routinely by the fruit trees of developed countries mean the difference between losing Hundreds of kilos of food by blows and crushing or taking advantage of them.
WHAT'S MORE WASTED
When measuring by weight, fruit is Undoubtedly the type of food That is most wasted in the world. It accounts for around 44% of the 1.3 billion tonnes of food wasted annually That is, according to Functional the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). They are Followed by roots and tubers (20%), cereals (19%) and, Further away, milk (8%).
However, as noted in the World Resources Institute's Reducing Food Waste and Loss report, These types of food Vary greatly in calorie intake per kilogram. For example, one kilo of wheat flour contains 12% water and 3,643 kc, while an average apple has 81% water and 1,704 kc. "For that reason, measuring by weight does not consistently reflect the energy wasted That could have been consumed by the population," he notes.
Your alternative is to quantify the calories. In this way, the cereals would top the list, with 53% of the energy lost.
3. Hermetically sealed plastic bags. It is another simple solution That can prevent insect pests from devouring crops harvested. Farmers in Nigeria are beginning to use them for seeds.
4. Metal silos. Usually, crops are moved to large silos. Between transport and storage, the food goes through phases in cui there are usually losses. Kenya is experimenting with smaller metal containers, Which can be used by families and communities to conserve food better and avoid any downsizing in the process.
5. Infrastructures. If the solutions so far were cheap and easy to implement, it requires large investments: improving roads, power lines and transport systems in developing countries helps to make better use of food.
Work cited
LINDE PABLO "DIEZ METODOS PARA REDUCIR EL DERROCHE DE COMIDA"
When I was five years old the food that I did not eat was thrown to the trash and that happens a lot nowadays, and not only at my house. All around the world food is wasted. More than 1 billion euro of food per year. There are many reasons that explain food waste but in this blog we will talk about the three major causes.
The amount of food that is wasted in the world can be exemplified in many ways, to worrying: developed countries waste between 250 and 300 kilos per person per year.
Zero waste is unattainable, but the scope for improvement is really low. Jose Antonio Cuesta, author of the study, explains that there is no statistical series that allows observing trends, but is convinced That it is not going down. "The only reliable data we have is from the US and UK, where waste has grown in recent years. We can not take These countries as a reference, since they have very specific socioeconomic characteristics That Are not extrapolable to a large part of the world , but they do show That much remains to be done, "he summarizes.
The solutions are multiple, some of a great economic cost in infrastructures, That others require only small investments and some concern That the awareness of consumers and distributors. The Majority of the unnecessary expenditure of food is distributed in the phases of consumption , production and storage of food .
Across the globe, countries are Implementing formulas to tackle this waste. Between them:
Developing countries
1. Steam refrigerators. Storage systems in developing countries can be affected by many factors: power outages, monsoons, conflicts That delay delivery. To prevent food temperatures from being dependent on electricity, countries like Tanzania or India are using refrigerators That use the steam generated by the food itself When given the sun to maintain its temperature. This Prevents some crops from being spoiled by heat.
2. Rigid boxes. Solutions as simple as using rigid boxes similar to Those used routinely by the fruit trees of developed countries mean the difference between losing Hundreds of kilos of food by blows and crushing or taking advantage of them.
WHAT'S MORE WASTED
When measuring by weight, fruit is Undoubtedly the type of food That is most wasted in the world. It accounts for around 44% of the 1.3 billion tonnes of food wasted annually That is, according to Functional the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). They are Followed by roots and tubers (20%), cereals (19%) and, Further away, milk (8%).
However, as noted in the World Resources Institute's Reducing Food Waste and Loss report, These types of food Vary greatly in calorie intake per kilogram. For example, one kilo of wheat flour contains 12% water and 3,643 kc, while an average apple has 81% water and 1,704 kc. "For that reason, measuring by weight does not consistently reflect the energy wasted That could have been consumed by the population," he notes.
Your alternative is to quantify the calories. In this way, the cereals would top the list, with 53% of the energy lost.
3. Hermetically sealed plastic bags. It is another simple solution That can prevent insect pests from devouring crops harvested. Farmers in Nigeria are beginning to use them for seeds.
4. Metal silos. Usually, crops are moved to large silos. Between transport and storage, the food goes through phases in cui there are usually losses. Kenya is experimenting with smaller metal containers, Which can be used by families and communities to conserve food better and avoid any downsizing in the process.
5. Infrastructures. If the solutions so far were cheap and easy to implement, it requires large investments: improving roads, power lines and transport systems in developing countries helps to make better use of food.
Work cited
LINDE PABLO "DIEZ METODOS PARA REDUCIR EL DERROCHE DE COMIDA"
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