What’s Left on Your Plate Hurts the Planet

While factories, fossil fuels, and fast fashion are well-known culprits of climate change, another offender is hiding in plain sight—food waste. And we are all guilty of it.

In my last article, we learnt how food is wasted at weddings and other celebrations, national and international conferences, events, etc., where food is served through a buffet system. Buffets are a popular way to celebrate special occasions or enjoy a meal with friends and family. They are also a great way to taste and relish different cuisines without committing to a full meal. This system was introduced in the 17th century in Europe and soon became popular in the USA and other Western countries. In India, the origins of the buffet system can be traced back to the long-standing tradition of communal dining called ‘langar’ in the Sikh temples since the 16th century. However, while the original langar system continues, it has been adopted in modified and commercial settings and has become popular since the 1980s in India. This system of serving meals is most ideal, as it allows the guests or customers to select food of their choice from an array of dishes. Secondly, guests only consume as much of the selected food items as required. No overloading the plates, no overloading their stomachs!. As they have filled up their plates themselves with small portions, they will consume entire portions of food and will make their plates almost ‘clean’, without leaving even a single morsel of food. What a great deal indeed! Unfortunately, this ‘ideal’ way of consuming food is never followed, and lots of food is wasted and discarded in the trash.

Impact of food waste on the environment and ecosystems:

Tossing away uneaten food may appear like meagre damage to the planet compared to other issues, but the haunting reality is that it is just as harmful. Food waste has multiple negative environmental consequences, from contributing to climate change and depleting resources to polluting water sources and degrading land. These can be summarised as follows:

• Food, which is discarded at several different sources, finally ends up in landfills or dumping grounds. At the landfills, it begins to rot and eventually releases one of the most potent greenhouse gases, namely methane. Methane significantly contributes to global warming and climate change.

• The energy used for food production, transportation, storage, and disposal also contributes to the emission of carbon dioxide, which is another major greenhouse gas.

• Food waste accounts for a substantial portion of global greenhouse gas emissions, estimated at around 8% to 10%.

• Food waste in landfills produces leachate, a residual liquid of many toxic chemicals, including heavy metals. Such toxins leach and contaminate the underground water sources.

•  his negatively affects the health of aquatic ecosystems.

• Increased land use for food production and waste disposal can lead to deforestation and habitat destruction. Deforestation and land degradation associated with food waste can disrupt habitats and harm biodiversity.

• Food waste is part of a broader system of food production and consumption that can contribute to the over-exploitation of resources and pollution.

So, reducing food waste is crucial for mitigating these impacts and creating a more sustainable food system.

To understand how we do it, kindly wait for next week’s article.

Until then, have a nice weekend!

(The author is an environmentalist. Views Personal.)