Love Food Hate Waste

Recently I have read a program called Food Waste Avoidance Education. This is a program set by NSW government, the office of environment & Heritage. And it builds on the Environment Protection Authority’s (EPA) successful program with $ 1.4 million funding (NSW government, 2014). Moreover, the aim of this program is to rise reduce the amount of edible food disposed of in NSW. After reading this program, I think deeply in this problem. Do we really waste a lot on the tables?

From the figure above, it shows the annual food waste by region. In the developed counties, the people waste more than that in developing counties. And more than 100 kg per person a year is also a surprise number. This is really a big number and a large amount of food waste.

These two pictures show the dairy and cereals loss in our daily life. The data still surprise me. Why we generate such food waste and we even do not aware of it? The problem may be our bad habit. In addition, government also has responsibility for this situation. I think that we should build sustainable table in our daily life.

According to the data from “The Sustainable Table”, up to 60% of our personal eco-footprint is embodied in the food that we buy. And the concept of sustainable table can guide people to reduce their waste on food. The Sustainable Table is a collection of recipes and stories from notable chefs, farmers, producers, winemakers, gardeners and everyday people who are reducing their impact on the environment by altering their food choices. These inspiring people eat seasonally, shop locally, buy organic, reduce food waste, purchase ethically and make backyards and public spaces productive (The sustainable Table, 2012). Under this concept, people will know how many calorie they should get per day and what kinds of food is suit for them. It can reduce food over-intake and waste. On the other hand, it is also good for health.

To sum up, with the sharply increasing modern pace of life, more and more people ignore their behavior on food. And the food waste becomes a serious in many urban cities. It is time to solve this problem. The government should do more in education about food and their behavior on food. The sustainable table is a great concept which deserves to spread. It is not only good for health, but also good for the environment.

Reference:

1. Kinlaw, D. 1992. Competitive and Green: Sustainable Performance in the Environmental