The United Nations warns about the growth of hunger in the world, while the tons of food waste each year increase. The call is to become aware and make better use of food and its conservation.
The program of the United Nations for the Environment (UNEP) revealed that domestic habits are responsible for almost 570 million tons of food wasted every year in the world.
The staggering figure represents an average of 74 kg of food wasted per person each year. According to UNEP estimates, the figure may increase, since the growth of the world population and food consumption are determining factors in making the calculations.
An affirmation that is based on data on agricultural production that has increased worldwide by almost 300% in the last 50 years.
On the other hand, a recent report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, FAO, warns that “the state of food security and nutrition in the world 2023, is calculated that an average of 735 million people suffer from hunger or malnutrition in the world”.
Avoid food waste
The FAO recommendation is centered on avoiding food waste by taking some actions, such as keeping a food waste diary for a week.
The recommendation, however simple it may seem, will allow you to evaluate the amount of food wasted and the reasons behind it.
They also recommend checking the refrigerator and pantry, as a step prior to making a shopping list, which will help avoid impulsive decisions or purchase more than necessary.
When taking advantage of the offers of discounted perishable products, such as fruits, vegetables and salads, they recommend not exceeding the amount that could be consumed.
Instead, they suggest buying less fresh food, but buying more frequently to avoid spoilage and ending up in the trash.
Check the expiration date of food
One of the main causes of food waste in the world is confusion about best before and expiration dates, according to United Nations reports.
FAO designed a practical guide in which he explains the differences between food expiration dates. In this sense, the FAO explains that food can continue to be suitable for consumption after the best before date, unlike the expiration date, which indicates when it is no longer safe to consume.
Another tip has to do with saving and using leftover food later, which will help prevent food waste.
It’s about giving food a second chance, such as adding old bread to a salad or soup. Using very ripe fruits in a dessert or jam, taking advantage of the chicken that was left to make a sandwich and, above all, becoming aware of the problem in order to adopt more sustainable habits in our daily lives.
Keep reading:
. What is the difference between the expiration date and best before date?
. Would you dare to give expired food a second chance?
. Remove expiration date from milk? An alternative to avoid wasting tons of food
