Food losses have an impact on food security, food quality and price, economic development and on the environment.

Food waste leads to waste of precious resources including water, land, energy, labor and capital and needlessly produce greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global warming and climate change.

Food is the least recycled material and is second largest contributor to global warming.

There are many ways to reduce Food Waste

Here I shall focus on Post-Consumer Food Waste, which can be reduced by:

Reducing excessive portion sizes and additional serving, if required especially in institutions like colleges and industrial canteens.

Identifying menu items causing more left over on the diner's plate.

Most of the major supermarket retailers in the west work with NGOs to reduce the food thrown away like providing recipes, how to store food better, types and sizes of products sold, the way food is sold (eg."half price" rather than "two for one").

Selling farm produce direct to consumers through farmers' markets and farm shops will also help.

Changing consumer attitudes

The best way to eliminate food waste is to not create it in the first place.

Consumers in rich countries buy more food than they need – Like "Buy three, pay two" promotions, oversized ready-to-eat meals, fixed-price buffets that spur customers to heap their plates.

Consumer level Reduction Actions:

Plan your menu and shop for just those things on your menu.

Buy in quantities that you realistically need and will use. If you buy in bulk, make sure to store them properly and use them in time.

Think "what do we have to eat" instead of "what do I want to eat?" Use up the food you already bought and have in the house instead of buying more.

Re-Use Actions:

Use up your leftovers - Internet has many websites giving recipes for using leftover foods such as www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/recipes.

Consider preserving or canning surplus fruits and vegetables.

 

b. Feed Hungry People:

Even in rich countries, there are always poor people who are not sure where they will find their next meal. Non-perishable and unspoiled perishable food are donated to local food banks by restaurants, caterers, corporate dining rooms, hotels, and other food establishments for prompt distribution to hungry people in their communities.

c. Feed Animals

Farmers often use food discards to feed their livestock. Excess food may also be provided to zoos for feeding animals in consultation with animal feeding experts. Some companies also convert food discards into commercial animal and pet food.

Here I wish to share an impressive method adopted by the highly popular "Dabbawalas" of Mumbai where the untouched food left in the tiffin boxes are shared using a simple "Share sticker"?.

 Make sure to watch the video clip and post your comments. 

The video can be seen by clicking this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3FZs2sebCo