It is ironic that while some people have either insufficient or unwholesome food, a fifth of the food we buy ends up in landfills causing substantial economic, environmental and social problems. The good news is that Malta, like most Western countries, is taking action to reduce food wastage.
The setting up of a working group by Environment Minister Leo Brincat with the aim of making “practical recommendations” to reduce food waste is a laudable initiative that should get the support of all those that consume or provide food – practically all of us.
From an environmental perspective, food wastage has serious consequences. When food is thrown away and disposed of in landfills, it rots and becomes a source of methane, a dangerous greenhouse gas that is partly responsible for global warming.
If families are educated to plan their purchase and how to consume food much of this negative effect can be reduced. When food wastage is reduced, there will be less pressure on the environment to produce more food. There are various resources needed to grow food, including water, fertiliser, pesticides, and energy. The more food we waste, the more of these resources we use, thereby increasing economic and environmental costs.
The economic advantages of reducing food wastage are obvious to many. Disposing of wasted food costs money. If businesses like restaurants and hotels reduce their food waste, they will pay less to dispose of their rubbish. Hopefully, this will improve their profitability or enable them reduce their prices to become more competitive.
If the government came up with a creative tax scheme that would encourage food businesses to reduce waste, the cultural change that is needed to tackle the wasteful mindset of certain operators will be accelerated. Nothing motivates business people more to reduce waste than monetary benefits that would accrue from using food only as and when it is required for consumption.
The European Union also needs to do its bit by not imposing strict food regulations that go beyond protecting the health of consumers. Bananas that are slightly discoloured as a result of having passed their ‘best before’ date are still safe to eat even if their blemishes may not be visually pleasing.
The process of setting regulations for when food can be consumed needs to be motivated both by health considerations as well as practical guidelines on what can still be consumed safely by humans or animals even beyond the expiry date indicated.
No less important are the social benefits of a culture that wages war against food wastage. It is a sad reality that, in every society, including ours, there will always be people who do not have enough food to eat or who consume cheap and unhealthy food because they cannot afford anything better.
The Church has always been at the forefront of the campaign to ensure that no one lacks basic healthy food irrespective of one’s economic standing. The poor have a right to good food and if our society manages to curb waste, there could be more wholesome food available to those who cannot afford to buy it.
Food industry businesses should be encouraged to donate safe and healthy food to a food bank or to a rescue organisation that focuses on helping those most in need of support.
The social and physical environment of this country remains fragile and needs all the initiatives that we can devise to support it. Cutting on food waste is one such initiative.