FOOD WASTE !!

Consumers could be doing far more to help combat global food wastage with relatively little effort according to a new study showing that every year, a third of all food produced ends up being binned.

As consumers we have a habit of buying too much food, often more than we can consume within specified use-by dates. This leads to mountains of food being ditched in the bin, adding to waste and impacting on resources such as energy, water, not to mention the impact on global warming.

Around 795 million people go hungry on any given day around the world, yet if we all did more to alleviate food waste we could get closer to dealing with world hunger. In one year a third of all food produced globally is binned, that is 1.3 billion tons in weight, worth more than 1 trillion.

A new study conducted by Save On Energy in America has revealed that the average American wastes enough food in a year. For two weeks yet according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) global hunger could be decrease just 25 percent of food wasted each year.

The majority of food waste in the U.S. comes from homes. Consumers generate a whopping 144 billion worth of discarded food, so taking steps to reduce waste can start at home. However, a common method of recycling organic material, can convert food waste into humus.

This way can be used to nourish growth in gardens. Consumers can also plan meals in advance to only buy necessary groceries and rearrange the fridge so the most perishable items are in front and less than a week.

Recycling all materials is important for the environment and the economy but food waste is often overlooked. Food loss along the production line is also a key contributor to waste but most food wastage tends to occur at the consumer level. Consumers stock up their refrigerators with more food than they can eat because mostly food will be expired and at last they will throw the food. 

As a result, a large portion of uneaten food is thrown out and replaced by more food which may later go uneaten.

At workplace they need to give awareness to people how to reduce food and packaging waste but more could be done to bring in a recognised framework to reduce food waste from homes and businesses.

The main waste food for ending up in the garbage pile are dairy products, fresh fruit and vegetables. In addition, these foods can all be composted so easily, putting nutrients back into the soil. It could also be turned into biogas as a fuel, or used as animal feed. Just small changes can make a huge impact to the level of food waste created.