September 29, 2023 is International Food Loss and Waste Awareness Day. The opportunity to return to the ecological impact of food waste and the solutions put in place to fight against it with NOWU, the environmental digital media from France Télévisions.
Some figures on food waste in France
According to an Ademe report, every year in France, French people throw away 29 kg of food per person. Of these 29 kg, seven will be products still in their packaging. In total, this represents one meal per week and €108 per year per person.
In fact, if we take into account everything that is lost before reaching the hands of consumers (i.e. along the production chain), the figures rise to 150 kg and 240 € per person each year!
Which represents a total of 10 million tonnes of food, or the equivalent of 18 billion meals, end up in the trash every year (a loss of between 12 and 20 billion euros.
Why is food waste a problem?
Firstly, because there are still a huge number of people suffering from hunger in the world, 828 million according to the latest UN estimates. And in France, 16% of the population would have difficulty feeding themselves according to the results of a Credoc study, published in May 2023.
Then, from an ecological point of view, because it wastes precious resources which are not unlimited (like the water or land cultivated at a loss) and contributes to global warming: a lot of greenhouse gases are emitted because of the energy it takes to produce, transform, preserve, package and transport products that will not be used.
Indeed, at the global level, food waste represents between 8 to 10% of greenhouse gas emissions emitted on the planet. Which means that if food waste were a country, it would be the 3rd biggest polluter in the world behind China and the United States.
What solutions exist to food waste?
Beyond finishing your plate well, you should know that food waste is one of the problems against which it is possible to easily act on a large scale.
In France, the law on food waste was passed in 2020 and provides:
- That unsold items from major brands be donated to associations
- That indications next to expiry dates be put in place to know whether a product remains consumable or not
Other solutions already tested could be generalized, such as:
- In the canteens: there are tables for bartering uneaten food and portions can be made on demand
- At restaurants: generalize doggy bags and offer portions of different sizes
- In stores: lower the prices of products that are approaching their expiration date and participate in initiatives such as Phoenix or Too Good Too Go which allow people to buy anti-waste baskets at a lower cost
In short, the objective is to reduce food waste by half by 2025, compared to 2015.
NOWU it’s the positive media to get informed and take action for the planet! Its mission: to enable young Europeans to become actors in the face of environmental challenges through guilt-free and solution-oriented content.