Donal Hickey: Food waste is a big problem for our pockets and for the planet
Irish households generate around 220,000 tonnes of waste, with bread and bakery items making up 42% of that. The average household throws out 120kg of food each year, though a significant amount of this food is suitable for consumption
As budget-aware parents try to avail of back-to-school food promotions in supermarkets, there’s an obvious means of saving that’s often overlooked — cutting out wastage.
With food prices rising — the shopping basket that five years ago cost €150, now sets you back €225 — people look for ways of slashing costs.
Globally, more than 25% of food produced is wasted. In Ireland, we waste about 750,000 tonnes from varied sources, including production/processing, households and catering, annually, says the EPA.
Growing, processing and transporting food uses a huge amount of resources, such as land, water, energy and fertiliser. If food is wasted, so are these resources.
Food waste is also a significant contributor to climate change. It is estimated that such waste generates about 8% to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, reducing it is an effective climate action.
Irish households generate around 220,000 tonnes of waste, with bread and bakery items making up 42% of that. The average household throws out 120kg of food each year, though a significant amount of this food is suitable for consumption. A SuperValu survey, two years ago, found that most people wanted to reduce waste, but 94% were still binning food.
Fruit is the most common item discarded, with bananas, apples and strawberries being the fruits thrown out most. Lettuce, carrots and potatoes are the vegetables most likely to be got rid of. Spoilage, sell-by date expiration and overbuying are the most common reasons for this… and so many people in the world starving!
Clearly, savings can be made. The EPA’s stopfoodwaste.ie website says the average household could save €700, each year, by cutting out waste. A look into a domestic fridge to see what’s past a sell-by date, starting to ‘go off’, or simply forgotten, can be revealing.
In today’s busy world, many people don’t have time to plan their food needs. They buy too much, often on impulse and in a hurry, and prepare too much. In restaurants, portions can be too big: you see lots of uneaten food left on plates.
“Day-to-day, it might not seem like much but, when added up, food waste is a big problem for both our pockets and the planet,’’ says the European Environment Association. While EU member states have taken action to prevent waste through monitoring and education programmes, far more needs to be done.
The EU loves to set targets (not always met) for member states and is now close to adopting two binding food waste reduction targets, to be achieved in 2030 — a 10% cutback in processing and manufacturing waste and a 30% cut at retail and consumer levels.
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