Understanding food waste

 The reasons behind food waste are many but there are some ways in which we could reduce it but may not realise it. Firstly, we should understand how big of a problem food waste really is. Every year households in Uk alone are disposing of 7 millions of tons of food a year food and drink per annum, of which almost 50% could be consumed. 

There are several reasons why we waste food for example, we cook too much of we wait too long before eating it therefore it becomes inedible. However, many are ignorant towards that problem, according to a Uk survey 59% said that they barely waste any food. This shows that people are not particularly caring when it comes to this problem.  

Change may be brought on by technology like fridges that alert you before food is spoiled or similar devices but, in the end, it boils down to our mentality towards making change. As owning a fridge with such technology built in doesn’t necessarily mean that the user will listen to It. If we were to invent devices reducing food waste, we’d have to first examine people’s motivations on why they do that and how it affects them. Further research should include the “food journey” from shopping to disposal.

  

According to another study people are much more prone to understanding the problem and making some change when presented with a visual representation of what is actually happening with the food. It has also been concluded that not one gender is responsible of waste but that males and females are in charge of different stages of the food journey however it is important to add that they survey was far too small to draw any concrete conclusions out of it. 

In conclusion food waste is a huge problem in today's society and should become something that everyone knows about and tries to implement some changes accordingly. However, it’s also important to note there’s no one solution to the problem because everyone’s different and different solutions will work on them. 

 

 

 

De Bruin, Annemarieke, et al. Understanding Why People Waste Food. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2019, www.jstor.org/stable/resrep23009. Accessed 27 Apr. 2021.