Issue based editorail

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THE BIG DEBATE

EXTREME HUNGER VS FOOD WASTE


ABOUT

From the most comprehensive perspective, hunger describes the feeling of discomfort that is the body’s signal that it is in need of more food. All people experience this feeling at times but, for most people, particularly in the developed world, this phenomenon is a fleeting event that is alleviated once the next meal is taken, causing no deep or permanent damage. When hunger or lack of food persists, however, the consequences can be devastating The impact of food waste is not just financial. Environmentally, food waste leads to wasteful use of chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides; more fuel used for transportation; and more rotting food, creating more methane – one of the most harmful greenhouse gases that contributes to climate change. Methane is 23 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas. and pesticides; more fuel used for transportation; and more rotting food, creating more methane – one of the most harmful greenhouse gases that contributes to climate change. Methane is 23 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas.

WHAT’S THE USE OF THESE? | 24 | EXTREME P


CONTENT OVERTY IN THE UK | ENVIROMENTAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS




Report finds Britons are chucking out 4.2m tonnes of food and drink every year that could have been consumed. All the world’s nearly one billion hungry people could be lifted out of malnourishment on less than a quarter of the food that is wasted in the US, UK and Europe.

The average UK family is wasting nearly ÂŁ60 a month by throwing away almost an entire meal a day, according to a new report that reveals the scale of the ongoing challenge to reduce household food waste.

been eaten. There has been no progress in reducing meat and fish wastage, with Britons still throwing away the equivalent of 86 million chickens every year. The top three foods being thrown away uneaten in British homes are bread, potatoes and milk. The equivalent of 24m slices of bread, 5.8m potatoes and 5.9m glasses of milk are being wasted daily, while even cakes and pastries make it into the top 10 most wasted items.

Britons are chucking out the equivalent of 24 meals a month, adding up to 4.2 million tonnes of food and drink every year that could have been consumed. Almost half of this is going straight from fridges or cupboards into the bin. One-fifth of what households buy ends up as waste, and around 60% of that could have The study by the government's


waste advisory body, the Waste & Resources Action Programme (Wrap), shows that since 2007, avoidable household food waste has been cut by 21% to 4.2m tonnes, saving consumers almost £13bn. Last month the UK’s largest retailer, Tesco, agreed to reduce its multi-buy items and other promotions after revealing that 35% of its bagged salad is being thrown out. It also found that 40% of apples were wasted, and just under half of bakery items. Andrew Opie, British Retail Con-

sortium director of food and sustainability, said: “There’s plenty to be pleased about in these figures. Avoidable household food waste has been reduced by 21% since 2007 and the progress is all the more impressive if one accounts for the growth of 1 million new households within that time. Cutting food waste in the home needs to be one of the UK’s biggest environmental priorities.” He said retailers know they are judged by the value they offer consumers “which means not only selling food at the right

price but also making sure we can make the most of it. A range of approaches, including giving clear storage advice and recipe ideas, offering a wider range of portion sizes, and developing innovative packaging that extends the shelf life of products, has helped to drive significant reductions in the amount of food and drink we throw away.”



EXTREME HUNGER IN THE UK The UK is the world’s sixth largest economy, yet 1 in 5 of the UK population live below our official poverty line, meaning that they experience life as a daily struggle. Oxfam has a vision of everyone in the UK having enough to live on, and of all men, women and children being treated with respect and dignity no matter how much money they have. We believe it is unacceptable that over 13 million people in the UK do not have enough to live on, and most do not have the power to speak out about what this feels like and why it is wrong. We develop projects to improve the lives of people living in poverty We work with policy-makers to tackle the causes of poverty We raise public awareness of poverty to create pressure for change Discrimination and prejudice play a large role in the lives of people experiencing poverty. That is why challenging negative attitudes and addressing gender and race inequality are integral parts of our work. We work with others to achieve a fairer and more equal country, in which everyone in the UK can live lives free from poverty and shame. We do this in three ways:

Evidence is mounting that thousands of children in the UK are not getting enough food to eat – and that, as financial hardship spreads

The problem is perhaps most visible in schools. Kids Company cites five inner London schools where staff say between 70 and 80 per cent of pupils are affected by food insecurity – not always having food at home, nor knowing where the next meal is coming from. But it is not just in the capital. A poll conducted in February by Netmums, the largest web forum for parents, found that one in five mothers was regularly missing a meal so her children could eat. Meanwhile, evidence from Trussell Trust, which supports food banks that give meals to 120,000 people nationwide, also suggests that the problem is growing. Its executive chairman, Chris Mould, said there had been a "huge increase" in demand in recent months – and among the hungry were 36,000 children. Even though the service is expanding, the charity is discovering more and more people in food poverty, who increasingly rely on the charity sector. "What we have seen suggests there are thousands of people in this country going hungry – making hard choices between, fuel, warmth, transport and food," he said. "The pressure falls hardest on mothers and children." For those on the front line, the problem is clear. "It's all down to money," said Charlotte Williams, who runs Station House, a community group providing childcare services in Thurnscoe, near Barnsley. "We are in a perfect storm. Working parents are having their hours cut and many are losing their jobs. Even where incomes are steady, the cost of living – gas, water, clothes – has gone up to the point that people are having to squeeze their food budget to afford other basics. Next week it will get even worse when working tax credits are cut. "This week we gave out fresh fruit, and parents said this was great – that they hadn't had it for some time.


Enviromental & Economic Impacts Enviromental Effects

The vast amount of food going to landfills makes a significant contribution to global warming. Roughly one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year — approximately 1.3 billion tonnes — gets lost or wasted.Every year, consumers in rich countries waste almost as much food (222 million tonnes) as the entire net food production of sub-Saharan Africa (230 million tonnes). The amount of food lost or wasted every year is equivalent to more than half of the world’s annual cereals crop (2.3 billiFood loss and waste also amount to a major squandering of resources, including water, land, energy, labour and capital and needlessly produce greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global warming and climate change. In the United States 30% of all food, worth US$48.3 billion (€32.5 billion), is thrown away each year.

to waste, since agriculture is the largest human use of water. In developing countries food waste and losses occur mainly at early stages of the food value chain and can be traced back to financial, managerial and technical constraints in harvesting techniques as well as storage –and cooling facilities. Thus, a strengthening of the supply chain through the support farmers and investments in infrastructure, transportation, as well as in an expansion of the food –and packaging industry could help to reduce the amount of food loss and waste. Farmer-buyer agreements can be helpful to increase the level of coordination.

Economic Impact

United Kingdom households waste an estimated 6.7 million tonnes of food every year, around one third of the 21.7 million tonnes purchased. This means that approximately 32% of all food purchased per year is not eaten. Most of It is estimated that about half of the wa- this (5.9 million tonnes or 88%) is curter used to produce this food also goes rently collected by local authorities. Most


The impact of food waste is not just financial. Environmentally, food waste leads to wasteful use of chemicals creating more methane – one of the most harmfulgreenhouse gases that contributes to climate change.


No Answer?

Thats because there is no winner this round. Extreme Hunger is a n endeless battle with food waste a major contributor. Food waste or food loss is food that is discarded or cannot be used. The causes of food waste or loss are numerous, and occur at the stages of production, processing, retailing and consumption. When hunger or lack of food persists, however, the consequences can be devastating.

THERE IS NO WINNER .....


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