Food wastage.

[hedonologist]

I certainly believe that if more people produced just some of their own food there would be significantly less food wasteage. When I started growing my own food I was very reluctant to throw it away, because I knew I had a vested interest in the food. I think that when people see it as merely a price, they are happy to discard some like 30 pence, but much less likely to want to throw their own hard work away.

 

Does anyone else agree with this?

[Bgreen]

I agree, but only up till a point.

 

Growning my own food, I feel don't feel at all bad about composting food scraps.  Even in winter, because the animals that stick around are more likely to eat it and help the process along anyways.

 

My point is that taking upon the task of growing my own food I've also integrated composting(a primary tactic of permaculture).

 

Yes, I feel a little bad, but it's not going to waste.

[Lacey]

I grow most of my own fruits and vegetables.  I compost all of the scraps and then also feed a lot of the scraps to my chickens which then fertilize the garden and it is just a cycle.  So, in reality I don't believe I have a lot of food waste because it is just a cycle.

[Carsten]

This is where Aquaponics excels, you can take most scraps and throw them back into the fish tanks for the fish to eat or larger pieces bury in one of the grow beds and earth worms eat them up.

 

Food wastage makes me sad too, I heard a stat not long ago saying in this country 1/4 of food goes to waste, with just a little forward planning and public education we could improve this so much. 

[alfonso87]

I definitely agree that people would have a less wasteful attitude towards produce that they grow. It would be less wasteful indeed considering the fact that you would be producing food your own food, which is economical and self sustaining. I've read some reports on wasted food, and it appalling how much food some countries waste especially when you think about all the people who have very little to eat around the world. 

 

Currently I grow some spices and tomatoes. I'm also blessed with two mango trees where I live. I'd like to grow more, I just need more free time and a little more drive to be self sustainable. Composting is something I plan to start very soon.

[shilpa]

I do not think that food wastage is occurring because people are not producing their own food. Many people work very hard to get eat even two meals a day. I think it depends upon the mentality of people on they think about the food they eat. Quite a lot of people have too many resources, hence do not mind wasting it. Even it those people start growing their own food, I think they would waste in the same manner as before since they are very rich. How judiciously you use your food depends on how you think about it. 

[Simon]

I certainly believe that if more people produced just some of their own food there would be significantly less food wasteage. 

 

Interesting thought! I would imagine that people would appreciate the value of food more if they actually had to invest time to grow the produce themselves. But how could people living in apartments and in major cities do this?

 

I do not think that food wastage is occurring because people are not producing their own food. Many people work very hard to get eat even two meals a day. I think it depends upon the mentality of people on they think about the food they eat. Quite a lot of people have too many resources, hence do not mind wasting it. Even it those people start growing their own food, I think they would waste in the same manner as before since they are very rich. How judiciously you use your food depends on how you think about it. 

 

Ah yes, I think you are on to something here. We produce enough food today to feed everyone in the world, and yet people go hungry while some people seem to have so much food that they can waste large parts without any problems. Is our food system unfair and broken?

 

Here is a longer article-series about our food production system. One of the proposed solutions to increase our food production is to reduce food waste:

 

"Another way is to reduce food losses and waste. It's estimated that approximately one-third, or about 1.3 billion tonnes every year, of the food produced for human consumption is being wasted or lost in the production process. Consumers in Europe and North-America waste between 95-115 kg per year/capita, while consumers in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa only waste around 6-11 kg per year/capita. In developed countries with medium- and high-incomes most food is wasted at the consumer level. This is food that is being wasted even though it is still suitable for consumption. In low-income countries in the developing world most of the food is lost in the production process before it even reaches the market. FAO takes this matter seriously. The UN agency considers food losses to be a "significant cost" to the world economy and serious threat to global food security and availability."

[RahulSHrs]

Hello I think food wastage can be controlled if it's root cause is determined then and only then it can be controlled. There should be awareness camps, events, etc will have to be organize. 

[juicerblender]

Food wastage is such a huge problem throughout the world. The arrival of big businesses into the grocery sector and burgeoning restaurant sector is the main cause of food waste. Most human beings are programmed to not waste food.