Dictionary:
⚘ Food waste refers to when food is discarded by consumers, food services, or retail.
⚘ Food loss happens when food is discarded throughout the supply chain, e.g. harvest up until retail, and is not repurposed into animal feed, seeds, and so on.
⚘ The best-by date is given to products that are easily perishable and often are unsafe to eat after that date.
⚘ Best before date is given to products that aren't necessarily bad by the best before date. They often are edible long after. Use the look, smell, and taste test to judge.
THE ISSUE WITH FOOD WASTE
Annually, one-third (1.3 million tons) of all food produced is wasted or lost, ranging from 14% to 20.7% depending on the region of the world. The majority is lost in Southern and Central Asia, Europe, and North America. Food loss and food waste are big contributors to climate change (8% of all greenhouse gases annually) and to global food security (The Oxford English Dictionary defines food security as "the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.")
In 2020, around 800 million people suffered from undernourishing, making up ~9% of the global population. It is theorized that the amount of food waste created is enough to feed every human on Earth. We are, in other words, not producing too little to support our current population, but we have crucial issues with fair distribution, waste, and loss in the supply chain.
In Europe, households are responsible for ~53% of total food waste. The most frequently wasted products are fruit, vegetables, and bread. In developing countries, most of the food loss happens in the supply chain with very little being wasted at the consumer level.
Food wasted at consumer levels normally goes to the landfill. In landfills, organic matter cannot decompose. Instead, it breaks down into several by-products, among them, Methane, a greenhouse gas at least 25 times more potent than CO₂ in heating the atmosphere during the nearest 20 years, CO₂, and H₂O. The importance of reducing our food waste thus becomes clear. By limiting how much food we discard, we can in theory support a fairer flow of food, reduce the amount of greenhouse gas released into our atmosphere, and save money.
Not all foods are produced equal. Some come with larger greenhouse gas emissions and have a higher impact if wasted or lost. On the top of the list, are beef and lamb with pork, dairy, egg, and chicken ranging further down, though not below plant-based options. Regardless, of what you choose to eat, it is important to work towards a more respectful attitude towards the food we purchase. Food waste is not only the waste of the food itself, but the waste of all resources gone into making that food accessible to you.
HOW TO LIMIT FOOD WASTE AT THE HOUSEHOLD LEVEL
Based on that food waste from households is a large contributor to total food waste within the EU, applying habits to your daily life that may improve this can be helpful. Wether you think about how it can impact the total food waste statistics or simply want to make your food last longer and get more out of your money. Not all of these will be accesesible, but focusing on the basics, e.g. how you buy and store your food should get you a long way.
Before or when you buy
⚘ Plan meals and purchases to limit how much is bought but not eaten in time.
⚘ Only buy what you plan to eat.
⚘ Buy foods that are in season where you live.
Storage and consumption
⚘ Learn to properly store food so it lasts longer.
⚘ Use the freezer more often to keep fine, soon-to-be expired food edible longer.
⚘ Eat up all meat and dairy since they have the biggest greenhouse gas emissions. Or opt for a diet with less or no animal-derived products.
⚘ Eat leftovers.
⚘ Give away food or invite friends over if you have a lot of food you know you won't eat up on your own before it perishes.
⚘ Look, smell and taste before you discard something. The best before date does not mean it is expired. Many products keep long after their best before date.
Reuse before you waste
⚘ Learn easy recipes on how to reuse types of food that you would normally trash (e.g., stale bread can be turned into croutons, some greens can get rehydrated in cold water.)
⚘ Look up options to reuse your food scraps (vegetable peels can be cooked into a vegetable broth for soups and casseroles, used as plant dye for eggshells or textiles. Fruit peels can fertilize your houseplants. Coffee grounds can become a body scrub or plant fertilizer.)
Compost and foraging
⚘ Learn to home compost or take advantage of local compost sites or programs to avoid sending it to landfills if your region doesn't already have a program for it.
⚘ Learn to respectfully forage something you eat in your local area - berries, fruits, herbs - or try to grow one of your own at home.
HOW TO APPLY THE LOOK, SMELL AND TASTE TEST
Look, smell, and taste (in that order) is an active way consumers can become more aware and judge if the food they have at hand is edible or not. The use-by date is easy to understand; it is put on easily perishable food, most often meat and dairy, to warn you that it shouldn't be used after that date (if not frozen before the date). The best before date is more difficult as food isn't necessarily bad just because it passed its best before.
Look - Look at the product. Has it changed color, texture, or has any moldy parts?
Smell - Smell the product. Has the smell changed? Is it fresh, sour or has a different smell than it would if it was fresh? Sour milk or cream can be used in waffles.
Taste - If both look and smell are good, the last test is to taste a small part of it. Has the consistency or flavor changed?
If all three tests check off as fine it should be safe to consume.
Look - Look at the product. Has it changed color, texture, or has any moldy parts?
Smell - Smell the product. Has the smell changed? Is it fresh, sour or has a different smell than it would if it was fresh? Sour milk or cream can be used in waffles.
Taste - If both look and smell are good, the last test is to taste a small part of it. Has the consistency or flavor changed?
If all three tests check off as fine it should be safe to consume.
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