At least one-third of the food that is produced in the world is either thrown away or discarded, annually. Not only does this mean that the food is being thrown away, wasting the water and other resources used to create it, but as it rots and breaks down, it produces methane gas (a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change).
Whilst the world cannot be changed overnight, we are going to go over two things you can do at home to help reduce your food waste and do your part to help save the planet.
Reducing food waste at home
To reduce how much you waste you produce, you first need to reduce how much you buy. On average, we buy more food than we actually need, mainly due to us trying to buy in bulk in order to save time. However, if we make smaller trips to the shops during the week (always with a list in hand to reduce impulse buys) we are more likely to only buy the food we need and consume all of it. So, we won’t have to throw it away because we forgot about it, and it’s gone bad.
Another way to help reduce food wastage around you is to change the way you see food. Due to recent trends, many people only look for perfect fruit and vegetables and ignore or discard ‘ugly’ food. This leads to the waste of perfectly good food. By picking food based on its quality and not its appearance, you can help reduce waste at both your home and your local market.
In conclusion, whilst they may seem like small and unimportant actions to reduce food waste, they do help in the long run. It will also help both your wallet and the planet.
