Food waste: let's learn to be frugal with food.

Food waste is among the worst things in the world. Especially in modern countries, there is a surplus of food and resources that does not lead us to consider how fortunate we are, taking for granted that a glass of water can be found everywhere. But a large part of the world's population is not at all like that. How many times do we buy a product, put it in the fridge, and forget it there? That’s food waste: good food purchased and thrown away because it expired or became inedible. Let’s now look at the data and how it is possible to combat this issue.

 

Food waste: here are the official data in Italy

In Italy, food waste amounts to 15 billion, divided as follows: household food waste accounts for almost 12 billion, to which we must add the food waste from the supply chain (production - distribution), estimated at over 3 billion. Therefore, the total food waste amounts to over 15 billion (specifically 15,034,347,348).

What is discarded in homes represents 4/5 of the overall food waste in Italy: we are talking about 0.88% of GDP (source Istat). Even distribution, while having long adopted virtuous behaviors and practices for recovering food close to expiration, has its "black holes": the national estimate is 220,000 tons of food wasted every year, 2.89 kg per capita, or 18.7 kg of food wasted each year per square meter of sales area, especially fruits and vegetables, bread and baked goods, dairy products (Reduce project 2018).

Regarding food waste in schools, the Reduce survey calculated an average surplus of 90 grams on each student's plate, and 27 grams of intact food left in the canteens per meal. But it is from schools that, according to Italians, the regeneration of a sustainable society must start. This is confirmed by the new 2019 data from the Waste Watcher Observatory of Last Minute Market / Swg, as 7 out of 10 Italians (68%) give a mandate to school awareness to promote attention and prevention in food waste, thus in relation to future generations.

 

Food waste: let’s learn to fight it

First of all, it is important to note that not all food is "wasted." Part of it is also "lost." Food loss refers to the decrease in the mass of edible food that occurs for various reasons in the early stages of the food supply chain: production, post-harvest, and processing stages. Food waste, on the other hand, occurs at the end of the supply chain, usually due to retailer and consumer behavior.

To improve our relationship with food waste, there are several ways. The first step is to buy less or only what is needed, paying particular attention to more perishable products. Furthermore, it's important to try to reuse food in all its forms with specific recipes. And pay attention to how you consume vegetables because too often, parts that could be used are thrown away.

We must be very careful about what is written on the packaging. It is important to separate ready food from raw food to avoid possible contamination. Then, obviously, you need to pay attention to expiration dates, distinguishing between "best before" dates because in the first case the date is definitive, while in the second it is not, and the product can be consumed even a day after. One could do as they do in supermarkets and place products that expire sooner at the front of the pantry.

Internationally, efforts to combat food waste have been increasing for years now: it is important to understand that there is a necessity for a radical cultural change, as well as the possibility to do a lot already today by changing individual behaviors.

According to a recent study from the University of Houston (Texas), people do not choose certain products because they feel little familiarity. However, if that product seems closer to them, then it can become attractive. Applying this principle to food, fruits and vegetables should be depicted (for example, in supermarkets and advertising campaigns) in imperfect forms with images that remind us of perfectly normal ones. The study includes other examples, such as a cucumber that forms a face, and shows, on a sample of 300 consumers, that the change in preference following exposure to such figures is present and absolutely measurable. If retailers applied this method, consumers would be more inclined to purchase fruits and vegetables that do not meet commercial standards, which often contributes to increasing the 1.3 billion tons of food wasted every year globally.

In short, even marketing can help combat food waste and remember that on Spaghetti & Mandolino you will find only quality products; here waste is absolutely forbidden, and ever since we were founded, we pay great attention to:
a. not throwing away anything ourselves, even by relying on platforms dedicated to avoiding waste
b. advising, with practical guides, how to best preserve purchased foods
c. taking care of sustainability at360 degrees until we become a benefit corporation.

 

Francesco Scuderi