A Global Problem: Food Waste From a global perspective, the world is wasting food at a staggering rate, resulting in the lost potential for feeding the disadvantaged as well as impacting the natural order of wildlife and contributing to climate change. Consequently, through this tragedy the world has the opportunity to find methods of reducing food waste. The world 's annual value of food wasted totals 750 billion dollars. This costly food waste comes in two main factors, waste and loss. Factor one includes food waste by restaurants throwing away uneaten food.
the picture of food insecurity in the country. By growing the population pressure, the demand for staple food is increasing that reveals an annual shortfall of 3.2 million tons of wheat in Pakistan (Arif, & Khalid, 2007). Food Security Analysis (FSA) is investigated to food security on the basis of three key determinants such as physical access to food (availability), economic access to food and effective biological utilization (Arif, & Khalid, 2007). Food availability on the basis of food production and consumption. The majority of poor are unable to get food in terms of net food availability.
This shows that Malaysia is actually wasting enormous amount of food. Besides, the study also found that an average of RM 840 per month on food was spent by a household of five. Unexpectedly, 25% of the food was wasted during preparation, cooking and usage. In another word, it simply means that about RM 210 will be dumped into dustbin every month which amounted to RM 2520 a year. Therefore from the study, it proved that food waste in Malaysia is ridiculously large amount and this should be stopped for better human being.
Web. 30 November 2015. Shopping in bulk causes you to waste more food and money. 40 percent of America’s food supply becomes thrown away per day. Dairy, breads, meats, fruits and vegetables are the top foods discarded.
According to the World Bank statistics, published in May 2014, up to a third of the world's food is wasted. Out of these, 400 to 500 calories per person per day in developing world and 1,500 calories per person in developed world is wasted. At the same time about 2 billion people in the world are malnourished and less fed (Kim, 2014). In developing countries like India, food is wasted in farms or on the way to market due to poor infrastructure and storage facilities. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has explained that around more than 40 percent of the “food loss,” meaning food that fails to make the journey from farm to fork in developing countries due to impassable roads and inadequate storage.
People believe it is less of importance than other global issues such as global warming, pollution, poverty, etc. But the fact is, we waste so much food that food waste is now the third biggest contributor to climate change. Food waste around the world is capable of generating 3.3 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide every year, so essentially if we find a solution to food waste, we’re also one step closer to ending global warming. Moreover, There also a common misconception among the everyday consumer that food waste only happens because households are unable to finish their dish. That may be true, but that’s not all.
In the US, 40% of food produced, or approximately 365 million pounds of food, is wasted each day. Food waste, however, is a problem that extends beyond America, affecting billions of people as a global issue. The overwhelming amounts of food that are being discarded contribute to global warming and climate change, and prevent the massive number of hungry people from being able to eat nourishing meals. Humanity as a whole must be more mindful of the Earth and its health, as we are the source which most directly affect it. Due to the profound environmental impacts of food waste, a reduction in the amount disposed is necessary to create a more sustainable environment, and humans have a responsibility to protect the planet, even if it requires drastic changes to the current food system.
Government Regulations on Food Food contamination, the presence of harmful chemicals and microorganisms in food, continues to become a pressing problem in the United States. According to Baher Kamal, “contaminated food affects one in ten people around the world- or around 700 million people as a result” (1). Although, the number of people being affected by food contamination is rising, government regulations are loosely enforced. Government agencies such as the Food Safety and Inspection Service, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention attribute most of the blame to lack of funding. These agencies are not enforcing their regulations, and because of this, the recall process of contaminated food continues to be voluntary.
In addition to that, food waste affects our environment as well because it contributes to climate change. This is because it requires a huge amount of energy to produce food through things such as as farming, processing and transporting. Not to forget, it costs a substantial amount to produce, $750 million to be exact. I have seen many students taking tons of food from the buffet at lunchtime and ending up not finish it and throwing it away. Dishes after dishes of leftovers are being thrown away every day.
C1: Depletion of natural resources: As the human population continues to burst, finite natural resources, such as fossil fuels, fresh water, arable land, coral reefs and frontier forests, which is placing competitive stress on the basic life sustaining resources and leading to a diminished quality of life[6]. C2: Loss of ecosystems: Biodiversity on earth is decreasing at an alarming rate. It is estimated that 140,000 species are lost every year. This is caused by pollution, weather change, destruction of habitats, and poaching, all of which are man-made problems. Biodiversity is not only a problem in itself, but it also produces many other problems.