By Mark Barthel, Special Adviser – Love Food Hate Waste campaign (from WRAP)

Since 1987 the world’s population has increased by 34%ⁱ and it is estimated this figure will reach 9.2billion people by 2050. Each day 200,000 more people are added to the world food demand yet simultaneously supply is shrinking. The combined effects of climate change, land degradation, cropland losses, insect infestation and water scarcity caused largely by the changes to the world’s ecosystem means that projected yields will be 25% short of demand by 2100ⁱⁱ.

Added to these figures is global food wastage, which continues to rise. 40% of food harvested in the developing world is lost before consumption due to inadequacies of processing, storage and transportⁱⁱⁱ, whilst here in the UK research show that the average household wastes one third of the food it buys. In short - the patterns of consumption and production over the next 50 years cannot follow the previous 50.

Every day people across the UK throw away seven million slices of bread, more than four million potatoes and 440,000 pre-prepared meals. And it’s not just staples, luxury items are also being wasted: 700,000 untouched packs of chocolate and sweets are thrown away every day. This means that the average UK household spends £420 each year on food that could have been eaten^iv. Not only is this a waste of money, the energy expended by business and industry to produce, process, transport, often refrigerate and sell food we then waste is immense.

In fact if we stopped wasting all the food that could have been eaten , an estimated 61%, we could prevent the equivalent of 18 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year – which is the same as taking one in every five cars off the road. Addressing the problem of food waste at a supply, production and consumer level is therefore a priority^v.

Steps are being taken to address this issue and it’s up to all of us to play our part. It is assuring to know that there is evidence to suggest that once people become aware of what we are wasting, most are prepared to do something about it^vi. In addition the current economic conditions are increasingly encouraging us to shop more carefully and cut back on waste.

WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) is committed to helping deal with the challenge of UK food waste. Since the launch of the Love Food Hate Waste campaign to reduce household and commercial food waste late in 2007, 1.8 million households are now taking steps to cut back on the amount of food they throw away resulting in an overall saving of £296 million per year. The campaign also works closely with Local Authorities and partners such as the supermarkets and major brands within the Courtauld Commitment, who are committed to helping their customers waste less food, and cut back food waste in the production and supply chain.

For practical advice on how to reduce food waste please visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com.

Mark Barthel will be joining the Future of Food debate at the Festival on Friday 8th May.

i. Sustainable food the biggest challenge in the 21st Century?, (2008) Mark Barthel’s key note at IGD’s Leading Edge Convention
ii. UNEP the environmental food crisis
iii. World resources institute
iv. The Food We Waste report, WRAP
v. Sustainable food the biggest challenge in the 21st Century?, (2008), Mark Barthel’s key note at IGD’s Leading Edge Convention
vi. DEFRA (2008) A framework for pro-environmental behaviours