food wastage

We all waste food sometimes, sometimes it can't be helped. Personally I love leftovers, they're the best meals. But what is the answer to reducing it? Many companies have varying sizes of packaging but since that increases the waste of packaging is it really better? I suppose common sense tells us to try and better estimate what we will need. But can more be done? Did you know companies, especially large chain supermarkets, throw away thousands of kilograms of fresh produce simply because it isn't pretty? Too small, blemishes, strange shapes - these fruit and veg just don't sell. I worked on a farm in New Zealand in 2011 (through WWOOF) and experienced this first hand. At the time i didn't mind too much - any fruit we picked that wasn't good enough for sale we got to eat. But it did open my eyes to how much gets thrown away. Then the french supermarket Intermarché introduced the inglorious fruit and vegetable campaign.

Selling misshapen fruits and vegetables at a discounted rate. With over 800 million going hungry every day the idea of throwing away an oddly shaped carrot seems inhumane. Then another French incentive - a law banning supermarkets from throwing away food that is near the expiry date - by instead donating it to charities came to light. Less landfill garbage, less hungry people... Now if only these laws and ideas could come to other countries...

Want to help? Spread the word! Let your local politicians and supermarket chains know how you feel about food wastage! Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and other social media platforms are fantastic tools for change in the information age.