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As humans, we have no other alternative, but to consume food to maintain our existence. However, wasting was never a requirement for humanity. On the contrary, we must avoid wasting food to preserve ourselves and the environment. Especially, if we waste 32% of the food that we produce to consume (C et al. 690). Because unfortunately, food waste critically threatens the world’s resources, its elements, and therefore the creatures. Besides this affection, it supremely influences humankind in social and economical aspects. We are the accountable ones for these consequences and we are the guilty ones that need to have an urgent action.
Survey Regarding Food Waste
Humans are naturally directed to be opposed to each other in every part of life. Thus, there is a disagreement between people about food wastage as well. In fact, a survey made in 2016 by two professors named Danyi Qi and Brian Roe from Ohio State University articulated that 41.6% of the respondent disagreed with the argument which implies throwing away food is bad for the environment (Qi 7). Although, it’s not the majority, the number of people that oppose the argument is noticeably excessive taking the obtained pieces of scientific and economic data disapproving food waste into account.
World Hunger
Humans, just like all the living, must have the required nutrition to survive. Accordingly, no living could keep existing without sustenance. Nevertheless, on the planet Earth, around 800 million people suffer from hunger and this makes up about 10% of the global population (World Hunger). As a depiction, this amount would be about ten times higher than the number of people living in Turkey. The weird thing is that this hunger is not induced because of the Earth’s limited sources. It’s caused by food wastage. In fact, if we were to suddenly “reverse food waste and food loss we would save enough food to feed 2 billion people” (Food Waste). This indicates that if we abruptly stopped wasting food and began using, saving, or donating the food that was going to be wasted we would have a glut of edible food to feed all the people that have been suffering from hunger before.
Economic Impacts of Food Waste
The current food waste is demonstrated to be scarily tremendous due to its potential to stop world hunger. Still, world hunger is not the only place where food wastage shows its immensity. If we check the economical effects of food waste, we would notice that “food wasted globally is approximately worth 1000 billion dollars per year” (Seberini 5). This quantity is huge considering that the most valuable brand of 2021, Apple, is worth around 260 billion dollars (Most Valuable). Basically, we throw away more than three Apple brands every year when I can’t even purchase an iPhone myself which is obviously food wastage’s fault and definitely nothing else’s.
Environmental Effects of Food Waste
Food wastage does not just influence humanity but also has monumental impacts on our planet in multiple aspects. One of the aspects would be that it severely impairs the world’s limited water resources. Ponder, if we “waste or lose one-third of the food we produce” every year we also waste or lose one-third of the freshwater that we used to produce that food (Food Waste). That would be nearly equivalent to 250 cubic kilometers of water, which is about “thrice the volume of Lake Geneva” (C et al. 694). That’s why the reduction of freshwater wastage would originate from a direct reduction in food waste where the obtained water would be magnificently beneficial for humans.
Besides the effects of food wastage on freshwater resources, it additionally quickens climate change. Frankly, I believe food waste impacts climate change the most. It’s because “the food produced and then later goes to waste is estimated to be equivalent to 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gas emission” (C et al. 694). This is gigantic considering that the amount of greenhouse gas emission generated by food waste would be equivalent to 8-10% of global gas emissions (Food Waste). As an illustration, if we were to suppose food waste as a country, this nation would be the third-highest greenhouse gas emitter after China and the United States (Food Waste). Namely, greenhouse gas emissions that are caused by food waste is shown to be intolerably outrageous and therefore, it would be sensible to state that food wastage has a major role in accelerating climate change.
Conclusion
The outcomes of food waste are detrimental to the environment and to humankind. Thus, governments must educate consumers, encourage them to donate surplus food (A Call), campaign for reducing food footprint, develop the methods and technologies used for recycling, and control the supply according to whether there is a surplus or shortage to reduce these problems (C et al. 694-695). Individuals also play a major role in the reduction of food wastage because actually, "the biggest proportion of food waste [which is] about 37 percent happens in the home" (Kaplan). To decrease this quantity, it’s essential that you avoid excessive serving, plan your meals ahead, use what you have, take your leftovers from the restaurant, and repurpose waste if it is possible (How to). Please remember, the most significant thing is to recognize that even the tiniest effort can aid to preserve our planet and ourselves.
Works Cited
A Call to Action on US Food Loss and Waste Policy. World Wildlife Fund. Food Waste Action Plan, https://foodwasteactionplan.org/. Accessed 7 Mar. 2022.
C, Rohini, et al. "Global Effects of Food Waste." Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, vol. 9, no. 2, 2020. Phyto Journal, www.phytojournal.com/archives/2020/vol9issue2/PartL/9-1-402-478.pdf. Accessed 12 Mar. 2022.
Food Waste, Climate Change and Hunger: A Vicious Cycle We Have the Power to Break. 1 Oct. 2021. World Food Program USA, www.wfpusa.org/articles/food-waste-climate-change-hunger-vicious-cycle/. Accessed 12 Mar. 2022.
How to Reduce Food Waste at Home. Eufic.org, 2021. https://www.eufic.org/en/food-safety/article/how-to-reduce-food-waste-at-home. Accessed 19 Mar 2022.
Kaplan, Sarah. A Third of All Food in the U.S. Gets Wasted. Fixing That Could Help Fight Climate Change. Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2021. The Washington Post, www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2021/02/25/climate-curious-food-waste/. Accessed 12 Mar. 2022.
Qi, Danyi, and Brian E. Roe. Household Food Waste: Multivariate Regression and Principal Components Analyses of Awareness and Attitudes among U.S. Consumers. 21 July 2016. PLOS, https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0159250&type=printable. Accessed 15 Mar. 2022.
Seberini, Andrea. Economic, Social and Environmental World Impacts of Food Waste on Society and Zero Waste as a Global Approach to Their Elimination. 2019. SHS Web of Conferences, www.shs-conferences.org/articles/shsconf/pdf/2020/02/shsconf_glob2020_03010.pdf. Accessed 15 Mar. 2022.
World Hunger: Key Facts and Statistics 2021. 2021. Action against Hunger, www.actionagainsthunger.org/world-hunger-facts-statistics#:~:text=Around%20the%20world%2C%20more%20than,9.9%20percent%20of%20people%20globally. Accessed 12 Mar. 2022.
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