Wastage of food is a cause of serious concern in a country like India where 37 per cent of the population lives below poverty line. Food wastage is a major problem in India. Weddings, canteens, hotels and households spew out so much food. Each morsel thus wasted, in a way, contributes towards hunger. Today, most of us don’t even spare a thought for the time, energy, and resources it takes to produce our food. We generate mammoth amounts of food waste. The causes of food waste or loss are numerous, and occur at the stages of production, processing, retailing and consumption. Huge amounts of food is getting wasted by the people belonging to the upper strata of economy as there is no proper channel to utilise unused food. Apart from this, wasteful food-consumption is also leading to unsustainable demand for natural resources. Assessing food loss and waste and developing effective policies along the value chain can help solve the food waste problem and thus contribute towards food security and sustainability. We never think on a choice of food which will save our natural resources and can keep us healthy.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
