Okay, now that we covered the basics, let’s delve deeper on the topic and see what lies behind!
Food waste is defined by the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) as “the discard of edible foods at the retail and consumer levels.” It encompasses food that was fit for human consumption but was not consumed because it was discarded either before or after it spoiled.
So, when we look at the definition, we see that the issue as not just an environmental concern but also a socioeconomic problem, emphasizing the loss of resources and the missed opportunity to feed the hungry, which directly impacts global food security and sustainability efforts.
What other concepts are linked to food waste?
well, unfortunately, food security and sustainability are not the only concepts impacted by food waste. Here are some others:
Biodiversity loss refers to
the reduction extinction of species, the decline in populations of organisms, and the degradation of ecosystems. Food waste exacerbates biodiversity loss by necessitating more land to be used for food production than is needed. The decomposition of wasted food in landfills contributes to the production of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. This links food waste directly to climate change by exacerbating greenhouse gas emissions.
