Shocking Food Wastage Facts Revealed By EPA; Some Highly Interesting Food Waste Management Tips Proposed By Government Agencies

Global food wastage has emerged as a gruesome economic and environmental problem recently. The results obtained from a survey conducted by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, U.K. in 2015 indicate that the amount of food wasted by British households on an annual level is around 7.3 million tonnes, i.e., £10 billion (US$12,918,850,000).

The irony of the fact is that while a large part of the population is battling malnutrition due to insufficient food supply, nearly one third of the global food produced is left to rot in garbage disposal areas and landfills. Furthermore, increase in food wastage is simultaneous with the total amount of biodegradable waste generated, which further inflicts many environmental and financial problems.

According to BBC News, increase in food wastage has direct financial implications on the financial condition of each household and the whole nation. It was estimated that averagely, each British household suffers £470 (US$607) worth annual losses due to avoidable food wastage. The increase in amount of waste causes increased municipal waste disposal expenditures for its proper disposal. Furthermore, the thrown away food is also responsible for the generation of massive amounts of methane, carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that further degrades the environmental condition of the region.

The severity of the problems associated with food waste management were further highlighted by the results of Great Food Waste Study in Australia. People who participated in the study were asked to track the amount of waste food produced by them for two days with the help of Environment Protection Agency (EPA) food waste bags. The results indicated that the amount of waste food generated in the year 2016 was almost four times the amount that was generated in the year 2009, News.com.au reported.

Many remedial methods for combating the issue has been proposed by government agencies. These propositions include establishing national food waste targets, educating people about the consequences of food wastage and how to reduce it on a personal level. Encouraging charitable organizations that function for food waste reduction like WRAP may also help in minimizing national food wastage.