Global Food Waste - food for thought

Have you ever wondered how much food do we waste? Is the food, if stopped from wasting, enough to feed all human beings? Well, I didn't ask such questions until  I saw a video on Facebook last year.  I was surprised to know that we currently produce more food than all humans can consume. I was under the impression that we don't produce enough, and that's why some people go hungry.  No doubt, the video was an eye-opener for me. Today also I came across a similar video and again I am stunned. There are many such videos on YouTube that highlight the problem of food wastage.



Image source: Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

According to FAO, one-third of all food produced for human consumption gets wasted. This waste is an enormous amount. If not wasted, this food should be more than enough to feed all those who go hungry. 

What can we do? We can do at least our bit. In our individual capacities, we can practice good food habits such as buying food products in smaller quantities, donating extra food to the needy or animals, serving food in smaller amounts, checking the fridge to avoid any wastage, and making others aware of this severe problem. We might be lucky to have enough money to buy extra food but let's think about those who go to bed empty stomach before throwing it away. 

Besides, we can contribute in other capacities to ensure that the food wastage is minimized. In case you work for (or going to work in the future for)  big firms that directly make such wastes, you can put some extra effort into making sure that your firm doesn't make such waste. For example, you work for a supermarket chain. You can make some realistic demand estimates for food products and stop overstocking, which is the primary cause of food waste. In case you are a professor, you may take consulting projects from agri-based firms or policymakers. You can put extra effort into making sure that they are aware of the severity of the problem and suggest some realistic solutions to them to overcome this issue.

P.S. Links to some excellent videos. Please share those videos in order to create awareness among your friends and loved ones. 













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