Food Wastage: A Global Gastronomic Predicament
From a few morsels off a family dinner table to a whole buffet of uneaten dishes, food waste comes from various sources all over the world. Altogether, these sources result in roughly 1.3 billion tonnes of wasted food each year.
Taking into account the resources and labor required to process food, this figure translates to a total economic loss of $2.6 trillion USD. Used properly, this wasted food could have fed well over 2 billion people!
Food Waste in Southeast Asia
From a local perspective, food wastage is just as serious an issue. In fact, 25% of the world’s food waste comes directly from Southeast Asia.
With the exception of Singapore, the majority of waste from Southeast Asian countries is also made up of discarded food. This may well be cause for concern when you think about the region’s issues with hunger among the lower socioeconomic classes.
Based on data gathered by BestinSingapore, Singapore discards the lowest amount of food at 744,000 tonnes each year. Following this, Malaysia discards the second most food at a much higher 6 million tonnes each year.
The two countries with the highest amount of annual wasted food are Indonesia and Thailand with totals of 8 million tonnes and 17.6 million tonnes respectively. While there is limited data for the Philippines, the country’s capital region alone produces upwards of 720,000 tonnes.
This figure is quite alarming considering the fact that a small portion of the Philippines produces almost the same amount of food waste as all of Singapore. Given its size, the total food waste produced by the Philippines is likely close to several million tonnes each year.
Source: (FOOD CYCLER “A Complete Overview of the Food Waste Crisis In Southeast Asia”)
Aside from consuming precious space in landfills and waste disposal facilities, food waste produces methane. As a greenhouse gas that is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide, the methane created from rotting food waste can drastically increase global warming.
In turn, global warming can lead to higher sea levels, severe droughts, wildfires, and even intense storms. It is imperative for countries to reduce their food waste since many of these consequences are already being felt throughout the world.
Reducing Food Waste
To cut down on food waste in an impactful way, changes must be seen in a country’s commercial sector and household sector. One such example of these changes is the Zero Waste Masterplan implemented by Singapore’s government.
This action plan aims to reduce food waste by requiring large food waste generators, such as hotels and malls, to have onsite waste treatment facilities. In tandem with this mandate, consumers are actively being educated and encouraged to cut down on their food waste.
By cutting down on their grocery shopping habits and only cooking an adequate amount of food, many Singaporeans were able to reduce their household food waste. Along with this, those who ate out opted to take out their unfinished dishes as opposed to throwing them away.
Through these efforts, the island city-state was able to cut down its food waste production from 744,000 in 2019 to 665,000 in 2020. This is equivalent to a 10.6% decrease in food waste within just a year of implementing the Zero Waste Masterplan.
If other countries were to draft a similar action plan, there is a chance that the amount of food waste in Southeast Asia could drop significantly. In turn, the negative consequences of food waste could see a reduction in the future.
So, before you toss out that day-old rice in the fridge, maybe try your hand at a tasty fried rice dish. If you’re not too hungry during lunch, perhaps take a lighter meal instead, or share a large entree with a friend.
A large portion of the effort to reduce food waste falls in the hands of consumers. By initiating a collective reduction in food waste, the Southeast Asian region may yet serve as an example to the rest of the world.
