Half the world's food gets thrown away

[Harpo]

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/half-food-produced-thrown-away-040310569.html


As much as half of all the food produced in the world - two billion tonnes worth - ends up being thrown away, a new report claims.
The waste is caused by poor infrastructure and storage facilities, over-strict sell-by dates, "get-one-free" offers, and consumer fussiness, according to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers .
Each year countries around the world produce some four billion tonnes of food.
But between 30% and 50% of this total, amounting to 1.2 to 2 billion tonnes, never gets eaten, says the report Global Food; Waste Not, Want Not.
In the UK, up to 30% of vegetable crops are not harvested because their physical appearance fails to meet the exacting demands of consumers.
Half the food purchased in Europe and the US is thrown away after it is bought, the report adds.
Vast quantities of water are also wasted in global food production, it is claimed.
Around 550 billion cubic metres of water is used to grow crops that never reach the consumer, according to the report.
Producing one kilogram of meat is also said to take 20 to 50 times more water than producing the same weight of vegetables.
The demand for water in food production could reach 10 to 13 trillion cubic metres a year by 2050, the institution said.
This is up to 3.5 times greater than the total amount of fresh water used by humans today, raising the spectre of dangerous water shortages.
Dr Tim Fox, head of energy and environment at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said: "The amount of food wasted and lost around the world is staggering.
"This is food that could be used to feed the world's growing population - as well as those in hunger today.
"It is also an unnecessary waste of the land, water and energy resources that were used in the production, processing and distribution of this food."

 

[Bowler1]

I’ve just read this while eating lunch and you’ll be glad to hear I finished it all off and none of it went into the bin.

It is still shocking. I think most households would be pretty good at using up all their food, more so these days as we all tighten our belts in a recession. It’s the supply chain that is the problem, but that still comes back to us, the consumer. Why we have to have well shaped spuds that we’re going to mash or chop up is a mystery. There is little point in blaming the supermarkets, they sell what we buy and we don’t buy wonky vegetables. I’m still left wondering why the wonky veg can’t be given to animals we can eat later, maybe another member can enlighten me. Anyway, wonky (I feel the need for chocolate!) veg does not equal wonky cows/chickens/etc. I’m sure business would only be too happy if they could avoid waste, but that would mean us the customer sometimes not getting what we want all the time (i.e. sold out of cheese sandwiches, oh dear, I’ll have a ham one then), which we don’t like. Consumer choice is to blame, and guess what, we’re the consumers.

 

[mosaix]

Food growers, manufactures and distributors only care about food up to the point it is sold, after that they don't care a jot. Hence the sugar, fat, salt, advertising campaigns, fancy packaging and special offers.

But Bowler1 is right, it's up to the consumer at the end of the day.

I once worked with a guy who was refused health insurance because of his weight. So he followed a diet that simply said: Plan your meals a week in advance, produce a shopping list from the plan and buy only what's on the list. He lost pounds (lbs) and saved pounds (£s).

The key to buying food is to buy only what you intend to eat and ignore all special offers.

 

[Boneman]

It is shocking... but I'd take issue with this:

In the UK, up to 30% of vegetable crops are not harvested because their physical appearance fails to meet the exacting demands of consumers.

They're not harvested, because the supermarkets won't buy them from the grower. The supermarkets tell us "the consumer demands standard straight carrots/uniform mushrooms/onions/leeks/you name it" and it's complete b*ll*cks. They have created that market to fit their packaging, and guess what? increase their profits. Why do so many people return from hols in spain/france/belgium/germany and wax lyrical about the shapely foods that the markets sell - "reminds me of how vegetables used to be!" they cry. Buy organic directly from a farm in enough numbers and the supermarkets will suddenly tell us of 'the exacting demands of the consumer' all over again. Trust a supermarket to tell the truth? I'd sooner trust a politician...

 

[J Riff]

A lot of it expires on the shelves because no-one buys it. Then it is grabbed up from dumpsters by the poor, usually musicians and writers, and makes a lovely snack.

 

[JoanDrake]

As I understand it the world actually produces far more food than we need, the problem is getting it to the people that need it. At least that is what they were saying the last time there was famine in Somalia, food was rotting on the docks. Partially because the various militaries wouldn't let it go but also because there were no trucks to take it nor roads for them to run on. Horrible situation when millions are starving

Our planet is unimaginably vast and we are producing millions more people all the time. This is the same in remote areas as in better known locales, but our infrastructures have not kept up, and it is doubtful they ever will.