Scientific American October 2021 pp74-81 SUSTAINABILITY “MORE FOOD, LESS WASTE” “Cutting losses across the food chain could vastly increase supply and significantly reduce carbon emissions.” By Chad Frischmann and Mamta Mehra, Graphics by Valentian D’Efilippo
Read Scientfic American for all the details and illustrations
Image from independent.co.uk
Summary offered by 2244
“Piles of Food Wasted Worldwide”
Currently 30% of food is wasted, so imagine buying three bags of groceries and then tossing one out as you leave the market. At the current pace food waste will rise to 40-%. “Plausible savings. If half the world’s population consumes 2,300 kilocalories a day and chooses more plants and less meat, and losses are reduced across the supply chain, waste could be cut to 20% by 2050. Plant-based foods carbon emissions are “10-50 times lower than from most animal-based products.”
In low income countries, waste happens early in supply chain just after harvesting due to lack of refrigeration etc.
In high income countries, waste happens later at markets-discarding spoiled or imperfect food, restaurants-too large portions that customers waste if they don't take home the leftovers and homes-buying more than needed and not eating what was purchased.
Food waste today typically ends up in the local landfill where it produces and releases natural gas which is mostly methane. Methane, while not nearly as abundant as carbon dioxide, is surprisingly much more heat-trapping than carbon dioxide.
To feed the world's growing population more and more land will need to be cleared to make way for farming. Forest are effective in taking up and removing heat-trapping carbon dioxide.
So how can we in the high- and middle-income countries adapt practices that will help us save the third bag of groceries and thereby save the planet?
Buy smarter and eat what you buy.
Be more open to “inglorious fruits and vegetables.” Currently, in most markets imperfect produce is discarded rather than sold at discount. Organizations taking this approach are Intermarche (France), WeFood (Denmark) and 412 Food Rescue (Pittsburgh)
Local markets can buy from local regenerative farms.
Restaurants can offer “different portion sizes and fewer menu items and can encourage patrons to take leftovers home.”
“No matter how conscientious we all are, some food will inevitably be lost across the supply chain.” “Anaerobic digesters and composting are better ways of disposal than dumping in landfill because they create soil or generate electricity.” Eight states now have laws “requiring that organic waste be diverted from landfills to avoid methane emissions.
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