Food waste is a global problem that can be tackled in the most different ways. Some would say there is no reason to waste food nowadays when people are practically 24/7 connected online. It’s true!
A simple message on Instagram or Facebook saying “I have some bread and milk available for donation” would attract people to my doorsteps in some minutes.
Or if I simply go downstairs in my building now. I will certainly find someone that will accept this food that otherwise, it would be wasted.
Your leftover can be someone else’s breakfast!
Food wasting contributes to climate change as well. After all, decomposed food that nobody consumes will increase methane and other harmful gases out there- it’s responsible for 8% of the global greenhouse gas emissions which we all know is bad news for the planet!
Let’s be honest, it’s fairly easy to keep left overs on our fridge that sometimes we don’t remember to eat it or completely forgot to use. Sometimes, we don’t even know why we bought so much food that particularly week. It’s a shame! We all are guilty in here.
There are lots of ways of stop wasting food. From changing the portion sizes to avoid throwing away food, to making donation to the homeless that you probably see every time outside your local shop.
I’ve grown up in Brazil – a country where hunger was always a issue. I saw people looking for food in the trash bins, and we also know that thousands of children only count on daily meals from their schools. It’s sad. It’s unacceptable!
A quick check in the latest statistics provide by Wrap estimates that around 10 million tonnes of food waste is generated every year in the UK, post-farm gate, 70% of which was intended to be consumed by people.
These numbers can be reduced by 2025 if retailers, food producers and manufacturers commit themselves with effective measures to tackle the problem.
The food banks in the UK tell us how poverty can be tackled in this country. Food poverty is a sad reality that the new Prime Minister -that we’re going to choose today- will need to prioritise.
However, it’s also good to know that nowadays we can do much more than rely in politicians to tackle food wasting. We can do it without even leaving your home, and it doesn’t matter where you live. You will only need an internet connection and a smartphone in your hands.
Yep. Food Apps (and projects) are one of the easiest tools to tackle food waste. So, here is a list of some important ones:
This is probably the most important app that you can download right now. Launched in 2014, the Foodbank app was created to allows our local Foodbank to communicate which items they require and how urgently, so that supporters would always have the Foodbank shopping list at their fingertips.
This way we can support the community during the whole year, not only in the Christmas.
Foodcycle’s started in May 2009 when they got the first ingredients to put together its first cooking session. The idea is quite simple- to create meals for communities.
Today, there are 39 projects in the country – including in the Midlands- helping to reduce food poverty.
What is the project? – “A project is where FoodCycle volunteers collect surplus food and cook it Ready, Steady, Cook-style into delicious meals which they serve to guests from the local community.
At every meal, volunteers and guests sit down together to eat the meal together. Conversation flows, barriers are broken down and friendships are formed.”
You can donate or be a volunteer and make a massive impact in several communities in the UK. Any effort is better than nothing.
Did you know that 30-55% of all food produced globally is never eaten? Share more. Waste less. With a simple ethos like this, we can go further than we imagine. Olio connect neighbours to hare food and other goodies, instead of throw them away.
How to share? – Take a photo of what you want to donate, set up a pick up point, and when you get notified with a request, all you need to do is verify the user’s profile. Then, feel happy to be tackling waste helping someone nearby. You give and take without wasting. Brilliant!
Good food for good price. This is what Too Good To Go had to offer. A fairly easy concept – make food produced, food consumed. All you need to do is finding a store and make your order through the app. Find a tasty bargain there!
It helps supermarket, restaurants, bakeries and food establishments in general to reduce daily their food waste.
Here’s more data for you – 10 billion tonnes of food is produced annually, 1/3 is wasted. The average European household throws away £1800 in food annually. It’s not a joke.
Karma helps businesses to maximise resources, connecting surplus food from restaurants, cafes and groceries stores to consumers for a lower price. It’s a win win.
The Swedish start up, also launched in London this year, has rescued 295 tonnes of food so far. It’s an amazing achievement as a business, and a huge step in battle to tackle food waste.
Let’s feed the needy. No Food Waste has the important mission of make the “world hunger free”. They recover food surplus from weddings, parts and other events to be donated to people in need.
How it works? – You can call them if you have food enough to feed 50 people. Otherwise, small quantities can be dropped at the collect points. The food collected is checked and transferred to hunger spots and them distributed.
Featured Image | Katie Smith on Unsplash
