Can Food Waste Be Prevented?

How conscious are you about food waste? Do you know the processes that foods go through from the soil to your table? Awareness is being raised about this issue in the world because food waste is a very big problem. Approximately one-third of the food produced is thrown away, which is a huge number.

In developed countries, the consumption frenzy is unfortunately also reflected in the food sector, with some of the food purchased being thrown away without even opening the packages. However, this type of consumption pattern is not found in small settlements, especially in villages. Harvested food is either consumed immediately or stored under the necessary conditions and takes its place on the shelves. Waste food is generally used in animal feed or fertilizer production. Thus, the chain is not broken. However, this is not the case in developed societies. So, is there nothing we can do to overcome this? Of course, it is possible to prevent this with simple measures we can take.

How to Prevent Food Waste

1- Perhaps the biggest reason for food waste is that food is presented to us ready-made. If we knew how what we eat was grown, maybe we would start to be more careful. You don’t need a farm to do this, you have the chance to grow some fruits and vegetables in your garden and even on your balcony. You can prevent food waste by consuming the vegetables you grow in rented gardens in the city where you live.

2- If gardening and potting are not for you, you can be more careful when you go shopping. The most important thing is to make a list before shopping and only buy the food you need at home.

3- There is one more thing you need to do before you go shopping: fill your stomach. If you go shopping hungry, you will want to buy a lot of things and you will be more likely to fill your shopping cart with many unnecessary things. The situation is not much different when you feel very tired. When we are tired, our bodies will direct us to carbohydrates and sugary foods to get energy, and again we will fill the cart with unnecessary foods.

4- When buying fruits and vegetables, usually the ones that are shaped regularly or have the brightest color are chosen. In fact, every food that grows in nature has its own unique beauty. Instead of genetically modified foods with high albedo, try to buy naturally grown fruits and vegetables.

5- You have done your shopping, now it’s time to eat. Instead of leaving leftover food in the refrigerator for days and then throwing it away, put it in the freezer. Thus, you will both reduce food waste and spend less time cooking.

Additional Tips:

• Plan your meals: This will help you avoid buying food that you don’t need.
• Store food properly: This will help food last longer.
• Compost food scraps: This will help reduce the amount of food that goes to landfills.
• Donate food to food banks: This will help people in need and reduce food waste.
• Educate others about food waste: The more people who are aware of the problem, the more likely we are to solve it.

By taking these simple steps, we can all help to reduce food waste.