Stop Food Waste

28th April 2020 is ‘Stop Food Waste Day’ which is an international day of action in the fight against food waste which is a serious and growing problem.

Roughly one-third of the food produced globally is either lost or wasted every year. Food waste has become a severe epidemic across the world due to a lack of understanding of how to effectively use food and conserve it. Food waste, however, can be stopped.

Stop Food Waste Day aims to change the statistics of food waste, continuing to decrease it over time. Eventually, the day hopes to help those in need get the food they need and stop landfills from filling over.

History of Stop Food Waste Day

Stop Food Waste Day began back in 2017 by Compass Group, one of the world’s largest food service companies serving restaurants, cafes, hospitals, schools, and more. Compass Group committed to reducing food waste 25 percent by the year 2020.

Today, 45% of root crops, fruit, and vegetables produced globally are wasted per year as well as 33% of all food produced globally. With those percentages, there is a significant food waste epidemic that people are globally facing. Stop Food Waste Day aims to educate people about their food waste and create impactful solutions to how people farm, produce, purchase, and use food.

They have identified the possibility of 25% of food produced globally being able to feed 795 million hungry people in the world. Stop Food Waste Day hopes to change the way leftovers are used so people can take the most significant advantage of what food people use.

GoGreen at SERC would love you to get involved in celebrating Stop Food Waste Day by looking up recipes to best use leftovers and fresh produce. During the current lockdown when trips to the supermarket are few and far between, be cautious to only buy what you need and make a list ahead of time before you head to your grocery store to help conserve food usage.

• Look into meal prepping/batch cooking to make the most of your ingredients.
• Only buy what you need – make a list before hand based on meals you’re going to make.
• Get in the habit of freezing leftovers.
• Revive wilted vegetables by washing them in cold water for 5-10 minutes.

#GoGreen #StopFoodWaste