How to Avoid Food Waste and Be Sustainable

Stop food waste. One health, one planet is the slogan that will accompany this year’s National Food Waste Prevention Day, held on 5 February. Established in 2014 by Andrea Segrè, who is also the founder of the Zero Waste campaign, it aims to raise awareness about the enormous amount of organic waste produced every year in domestic and commercial settings.

Every year in Italy, on average, around 15 billion euros’ worth of food products are thrown away unnecessarily. Most of this waste consists of fresh fruit (37%), followed by fresh vegetables (28.1%), onions, garlic and tubers (5%), salad (21%) and fresh bread (21%) — source: laRepubblica.it. The reason? Often simple forgetfulness.

But reducing waste is important: first of all because food that is produced and then not consumed contributes significantly to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions; secondly because it is ethically wrong. It is food that could feed millions of people and help ensure them a dignified life.

But where is the most waste produced?

According to some estimates, more products are thrown away in Southern Italy, whose inhabitants, although they declare themselves poorer than the rest of Italy, spend much more once they are at the supermarket. Then there are families with children, who prove to be less careful than single people, as well as inhabitants of small towns compared to those living in urban centres.

Among these worrying figures, however, there is also a positive trend to mention: last year’s lockdown increased our planning skills. The impossibility of moving around completely freely led us to shop in a much more careful and targeted way, saving 222 thousand tonnes of food and 6 euros per capita, equal to 376 million euros nationwide — source: ilsole24ore.it.

This is thanks to greater awareness. The idea that wasting is wrong, and that it is a “problem” that can easily be solved with the right approach, is emerging more and more strongly from the latest surveys. According to these, 29% of Italians have become aware that they buy too much food; 85% are worried about this bad habit; 84% know they are setting a morally incorrect example for future generations; and 77% are aware of the environmental problems that result from it. Furthermore, 85% of Italians are asking for supermarkets and companies to be required to donate uneaten food to organisations and institutions that support people in need, whose numbers have increased following the COVID-19 pandemic — source: laRepubblica.it and ilsole24ore.it.

But in our daily lives, in our own small way, how can we make a concrete contribution and reduce waste and all its negative consequences?

• We can start with a simple gesture: making a shopping list. A carefully planned list of useful items for the week will greatly reduce random shopping and therefore the risk of having too much food, which will not be eaten, and too much packaging, which sometimes cannot be disposed of properly.
• Once at the supermarket, we should start paying attention to labels: if you know that a product will expire soon and you are afraid you will not be able to consume it in time, do not buy it just because the price is tempting. Leave it for someone who will actually use it.
• Let’s get into the habit, once a week, of checking the food in the fridge. If something is close to expiring, let your imagination run wild with a fridge-clearing recipe. There are many interesting cooking blogs online to choose from.
• Freezing is always a good option: whenever possible, it gives food a longer life.
• Let’s turn scraps into compost and dispose of packaging correctly. Where possible, we can reuse packaging and give it a new life: it is not unusual for a bottle to be turned into a flower vase. All it takes is the right idea!
• We also invite you not to feel embarrassed about asking for a box to take home your meal if you were unable to finish it at the restaurant, and not to feel awkward about using a doggy bag: even your furry friends deserve something a little more delicious from time to time!

All it takes is a few small precautions to embrace the spirit that, from 2021, inspires National Food Waste Prevention Day, which from this year and throughout the coming decade is aligned with the Sustainability Goals set out in the UN 2030 Agenda.