It is widely acknowledged that food security is a now amongst the major concerns of the world. It is predicted that by 2050 we will not have enough food to feed the planet, and yet today statistics indicate that we waste almost one third of all food that we produce.
Scientific research is ongoing to significantly increase food production to meet the future demands of an ever-increasing world population. While we continue to improve on food production technologies, we are also faced with a major concern which is food waste.
Food is wasted throughout the supply chain, from agricultural production right down to final household consumption. Amongst the more affluent consumers, to a larger extent food is wasted at the consumption stage where it is discarded even if it is still suitable for human consumption. Inadequate planning when purchasing, expiring ‘best-before-dates’ and consumer behaviour who can afford food waste are broadly listed among contributors to large amounts of waste.
Alarmingly, according to Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), globally, about 1.3 billion tonnes of food valued at RM4.4 trillion is lost or wasted yearly while back home in Malaysia, according to statistics from Solid Waste Corporation of Malaysia (SWCorp) we waste 15,000 tonnes of food daily, including 3,000 tonnes that is still fit for consumption and should not be discarded.
Avoidable food waste is defined as food that could still be eaten when it was thrown or unfinished food on our plates. Remarkably this amount of food waste in Malaysia alone is capable of feeding millions of people every day.
The Malaysia Consumers Movement (MCM) congratulates the government for initiating Save Food Malaysia (MYSaveFood) programme in an attempt to reduce food loss and food waste in the country but calls on consumers and industry especially food retailers to come forward and take the lead.
The MCM recommends the following:
1. Consumer behavioural change begins from home. Parents must themselves pledge to the notion that wasting food is morally wrong. Only then will we be able to educate our children against wasting food. Incredible amount of helpful information is available on the Internet which can be used for educational purpose at home on this subject. As consumers, we can do a lot to change the situation.
2. Food retailers must implement sustainable policies to deal with surplus waste. Sustainable efforts must be made to donate or distribute edible foods to charities rather than disposing it off into landfills. Working in collaboration with established civil society groups to run structured programmes will in particular be helpful.
3. It is recommended that the government considers tax relief for businesses which demonstrate clear strategies on managing and reducing food waste by donating to charities.
4. Food retailers must act responsibly and discontinue product promotions which would encourage consumers to over purchase. Selling more than it is required by consumers will lead to waste.
5. The government must educate consumers on the purpose of ‘best before’, ‘sell by’, ‘expiry date’ labels as these often contributes to food waste. Most consumers believe that expiration dates on food indicate how safe the food is to consume. Are these dates actually related to the risk of food poisoning or foodborne illness? More likely than not, food which has just ‘expired’ is still fit for human consumption but is legally required to be taken off shelf and thrown away.
As retailers are wary of liability issues when donating food, clearer and more flexible guidelines must be explored.
It is only recently that we have begun to understand the scale of this food waste issue. Now that we appreciate the level of food waste that exists in our system, we should stop talking about problem and collectively move towards to finding solutions to address it. It will take consumers, food retailers’ and government making concerted efforts in order to reduce food waste. Everyone has a role in securing the future of food.
DARSHAN SINGH DHILLON is president, Malaysian Consumers Movement (MCM).
