food waste – uttamhindu.com

Indian food A report released by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) states that one-third of all food in India gets spoiled before consumption. The Food Waste Index Report, 2021 of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) said that about 50 kg of food grains per person per year is wasted in Indian households. Thus, 6.87 crore tonnes of food grains are wasted in the country every year. This waste occurs everywhere in the supply chain – from transportation, storage and marketing to the kitchen and dining table. A large portion of food has to be thrown away after it is made because the amount of material produced is much more than can be consumed at the family or social level. Due to delay in preserving food and their means (cold storage etc.) are not sufficient, a large amount of food gets wasted. According to a study by the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, only 10 percent of perishable food items are preserved in cold storages.

According to the UNEP index, 17 percent of the total food grain production is wasted. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that 1.3 billion tonnes of grain is wasted annually in the world. There is a problem of malnutrition in many countries of the world including India, in such a situation, it is indecent to spoil such a large amount of food grains. According to FAO estimates, about 795 million people in the world do not get proper diet. Saving the amount of food that is wasted can help feed 1.26 billion hungry people every year. In fact, the bigger the social gathering, the more food is wasted. The message is being received from these figures that the wastage of food grains is very high and it needs to be stopped immediately. The problem of starvation and malnutrition can be solved to a great extent by stopping the wastage of raw food grains and making better use of the remaining food.

For example, a law has been enacted in France that allows supermarkets to give away unsold food free of charge or to give it to farmers for cattle feed or fertiliser. Many organizations in Canada collect unused and edible food from restaurants, caterers, retailers and agro-processors and give it to people in need. The good thing is that even in India some steps are being taken for the proper use of perishable, uncooked or cooked food. The National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) came out with a policy paper in November. The policy paper proposes to use the uncooked food as cattle feed or convert it into fertiliser. The document titled ‘Waste to Wealth – Use of Food Waste as Animal Feed’ states that the livestock sector in the country is facing acute shortage of food and fodder. The document states that to deal with this situation, the food left after use can be fed to pets, chickens and fish.

If we are successful in stopping the wastage of food happening in wedding ceremonies, private parties and hotels and restaurants around us, then we will be able to provide one time meal to millions of Indians who do not get one time meal. Can be To prevent food wastage, there is a need for the society and the government to run an awareness campaign at the family level. The owners of hotels and restaurants should start a scheme to give free leftover food to the poor. The government should also immediately implement the suggestions that come after discussing what can be done to prevent wastage of food under the supervision of non-governmental and government organizations. Preventing food wastage should be a priority for both the society and the government.

– Irwin Khanna (Chief Editor, Dainik Uttam Hindu)