Happy International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste - Sustainable lifestyle Challenge by Sofonie Dala. Day 2

Celebrating the 2nd International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste

Good morning ladies and gentlemen, it is day 2!

Did you know that food loss and waste generates 8-10% of greenhouse gas emissions?

Reducing food waste at home is one of the best ways to transform your climate impact. Please use all your food. 

^{Our everyday motto is: "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.}

^{When it comes to nature and biodiversity, lifestyles have a huge impact – especially around} what we eat.

Our guest today will tell us about her diet, based on edible and medicinal plants and why does she throw the leftover away.

The video illustrates that people are unaware of how much they harm the environment by throwing food away. 

When food is thrown out, it eventually makes its way to landfills (which can themselves be a problem for the environment). Food that ends up in landfills produces a large amount of methane – a more powerful greenhouse gas than even CO2.

Exclusive interview with someone who throws leftover food

Good afternoon ma'am! 

Good afternoon. 

How are you doing? 

I'm fine, thanks. 

What are you doing now? 

I'm collecting kassava leaves. 

Is it a specific type of food? 

Yes it is. The cassava plants are very nutrients. I eat the leaves, the root that is cassava and the flour.

Talk about your lifestyle. Do you live a sustainable lifestyle?

I do not think so.

What do you eat?

Pap, rice, beans, spaghetti, bread, etc.

What type of drink do you consume?

Soda, juice and water.

When you finish eating, do you leave food on your plate?

Not always.

When you leave food on the plate where do you put it?

I feed animals, cats, dogs and  sometimes I throw them away.

Did you know that throwing food is harmful to the environment?

No I did not know.

Could you tell us what is the problem plaguing your country that bothers you so much that you would like it to be changed?

Poverty. There are many people dying of hunger, many street children begging. This is a big problem the country has.

The International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste is an opportunity to call to action both the public (national or local authorities) and the private sector (businesses and individuals), to prioritise actions and move ahead with innovation to reduce food loss and waste towards restoring and building back better and resilient-ready, food systems.

Why is it important to reduce food loss and waste?

Globally, around 14 per cent of food produced is lost between harvest and retail, while an estimated 17 per cent of total global food production is wasted (11 per cent in households, 5 per cent in the food service and 2 per cent in retail).

Food loss and waste undermine the sustainability of our food systems. When food is lost or wasted, all the resources that were used to produce this food -, including water, land, energy, labour and capital - go to waste. In addition, the disposal of food loss and waste in landfills, leads to greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change. Food loss and waste can also negatively impact food security and food availability, and contribute to increasing the cost of food.

Our food systems cannot be resilient if they are not sustainable. With nine years left to reach SDG goal 12, target 12.3; there is an urgent need to accelerate action to reduce food loss and waste. 

Key messages

There is never room for food loss and waste!  

Reducing food loss and waste, provides a powerful means to strengthen the sustainability of our food systems, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve planetary health. 

Recovery and redistribution make good use of surplus food and contribute to improving access to food for the food insecure, preventing food waste and ensuring economic, environmental and social benefits.  

Household food waste is a global challenge – occurring at comparable per person levels regardless of region or country income levels. Behavioural insights can help reduce waste at consumer level.

Measuring food loss and waste helps countries and companies to understand the scale of the problem, target hotspots, and track progress on Sustainable. 

Development Goal 12.3, halving food waste and reducing food loss across supply chains by 2030.