What is the environmental impact of your food waste?

We are a nation of food lovers, but the amount of food that we all waste is truly shocking. You might be fooled into thinking that this will all biodegrade and have no long lasting impact, but this is not where the problem lies. There are now more and more studies showing the extent of the environmental impact that food waste from homes and businesses in the UK can have and it has the potential to be devastating for the planet.

In this article, Sarah Vernau, Marketing Manager at Flame UK looks at what food waste really means, what affect it has and what we can do about it to help you take your own steps to reduce the food waste that you produce.

The impact of food waste

Food waste is all the stuff that we have bought but not eaten. This might be leftovers from a cooked meal, vegetables that have gone past their best or pre-packaged food that has gone beyond is best before date. Whatever type of food it might be, if it ends up in your bin, then it is classed as waste.

When we look at other types of waste, we usually consider what happens to them once we have disposed of them. However, when we talk about food waste, the problem does not necessarily come from what happens to it when we put it in the bin, but rather what it took to get it there in the first place. We actually need to look at all the processes involved in creating that food and getting it to your fridge.

Everything that we eat originates from an animal or plant in some for or another and these need water and energy in order to flourish, not to mention the time and the effort that is put in by the farms who look after it. That food then needs to be harvested, packaged, and transported before being put onto supermarket shelves or turned into something more. This all involves fuel and huge amounts of energy. Then there is your own fuel to think about in getting to the shops and back to buy that food.

As an example, it takes 100 buckets of water to produce a single loaf of bread, 54 buckets to rear one chicken breast, 6 buckets for one potato and one bucket for a single tomato. These are all things that we regularly throw away, but we would never dream of pouring that amount of water down the drain.

The land that is used for food production is also an important consideration. The land required to produce just the food that is thrown away by UK households is estimated to total around 19,000 square kilometres.

When the food you have purchased is thrown away, it is all of these things which are wasted. Many of them are either precious commodities such as water and the land used for growing, or they are harmful to the environment, such as the fuel used for transportation and food production. The environmental costs of creating food are one thing, but the cost of this when it is never even eaten is massive.

It is estimated that around a third of all of the food produced in the world goes to waste, which equate to around 1.3 billion tons. Some figures suggest that this could be enough to feed every undernourished person in the world.

Social impact

Another thing that we have to consider when it comes too food waste is the social impact of it. The sad reality is that there are many people in this world, and even in our country who simply do not have enough to eat. Much of the food that we waste could have been donated to other causes, or the energy that went into it could have been directed towards those who are more in need.

What can we do?

In order reduce food waste, we need to look more carefully at what we buy. Meal planning means that you know exactly what you need in each weekly shop, and do not buy things that you will never use. You should also take a look at the dates on products and check whether they will be past their best before you intend to use them. If this is the case, then either look for something with a longer shelf life or wait to buy it until you actually need it.

Your freezer can be one of the biggest tools in the battle against food waste. Freezing food can keep it edible for longer so either buy things which are already frozen or freeze the things that you think might not keep for long enough. You can also freeze portions of meals that you have cooked and save them for another time.

We are guilty of cooking too much, so if you do find that you have leftovers, get a bit creative with them instead of just throwing them away. Whether it is throwing the meat from a Sunday roast into a pie or a salad, turning leftover potatoes into bubble and squeak or making food for your pets, there are some great recipes out there to help you make the most of everything that you cook.

If you find that some of your fruit and vegetables have gone a bit soft or do not look great, it does not mean that you have to throw them out. Instead, try blending them up into a super healthy smoothie, turn them into soup or incorporate them into your baking.

Food waste is massive problem and appears to becoming bigger. It is the responsibility of not just individual households, but also restaurants, takeaways, schools, hotels and shops to think about what we buy, what we use and what we throw away. If we are all aware of the huge impact that it has on the planet, then collectively we can start to take steps towards reducing it and benefitting everyone around the world.