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At Christmas we published a story about food waste at the holidays, https://www.iguiecologia.com/desperdicio-de-alimentos/ but today we will talk about the waste of everyday life.
About 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted or lost each year worldwide, which is roughly one third of all that is produced ends up in the garbage. And, this impacts on the economic, social and environmental sectors.
In Brazil alone, it is estimated that in the food route, from the countryside (through industry and retail) to the consumer, the disposal is about 41 thousand tons of food per year. A study with the Brazilian Association of Supermarkets (ABRAS) shows that the revenue of these establishments lost more than 7 billion reais in discarded food in 2016 alone. Putting Brazil on the list of the top 10 countries that waste most food.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) almost half of what is harvested is thrown away. Food Waste The number of wasted amounts decreases slightly when it comes to cereals, but still the waste is 30%. Among fish, beef and dairy products, the disposal reaches 20%. The most discarded foods without consumption are: fruits, vegetables, roots and tubers.
It is worth remembering that we can not only think about the food itself, but the whole production line that was also, in a certain way, lost, because there was consumption of water, energy, human labor. According to Alcione Silva of Save Food Brazil, in Latin America alone, the 127 million tons wasted per year could feed 36 million people.
The GPA Group (Pão de Açúcar, Extra and Assaí) has a program “Partnership against waste”, which consists of donating products that are good for consumption but not within the aesthetic standards that consumers want. Another action is to discount up to 40% of foods with close validity grouped in special gondolas.
Embrapa, launched 2 years ago, the campaign “No Waste”, with the aim of making producers and consumers aware of the theme. From this campaign, discussions are held on strategies and instruments aimed at industry, retail and the consumer. These discussions increasingly contribute to higher productivity, less waste and better use of food.
Another very interesting initiative is the app “Invisible Food”, because it connects who has food left with those who need it. Until recently no restaurant could “donate” its food, because if there was any contamination of the beneficiary, the restaurant was prosecuted and punished for it, nowadays the application donor can be: restaurants, supermarkets, hotels, buffets and bars. The establishments register, offer their products for donation, register the items they wish to donate, describe the state of the food and the expiration date, then expect the interest of entities that distribute or prepare meals. Interested institutions seek the food in the nearest places, if both accept (suppliers and receiving institutions) the agreement, the famous “match”, the application shows where the food should be taken and ready, just go get and enjoy the same. You can visit the “invisible food” website to better understand and be part of this initiative: https://comidainvisivel.com.br/. You can ask the place where you shop, asking where the food is still consumed and can advise you to use the application.
Awareness about food waste not only interferes with the environment, but also throughout society, including in our pockets, as it is also charged to the final price of food.