For pre-Millennial generations, when a child didn’t finish what was on their plate, it was common to hear phrases like: “There are many poor children in the world who have nothing to eat, and you here, not finishing your plate.” Regardless of the validity of these guilt-inducing statements, today we face the problem of massive food waste, which is evident in countries where there is hyperabundance and availability of food for certain sectors of the population. Clearly, this contrasts with areas where people are vulnerable because they cannot secure their daily meals.
In the United States alone, the amount of food in edible condition that is thrown away has been quantified. Each year, this represents 165 billion dollars and 40 million tons of food. It is shocking to note that this figure does not include all products that were purchased, stored for long periods, and then discarded because they reached their expiration date. In Mexico, we do not have precise global figures, but a walk through the dumpsters of restaurants and supermarkets is enough to realize the amount of food wasted.
Beyond the obvious economic cost and the moral dilemma faced by those struggling to access food, there is a high ecological cost in producing food that will not be consumed. The problem is so present in industrialized countries that efforts have begun to alert the population about the meaning of different dates printed on packaging. Obviously, in a utopian scenario, the ideal would be to eat only fresh products every day without storing them, which is practically impossible for the vast majority.
There is an entire anti-waste movement, which is beginning to show its first manifestations in different parts of the world. For example, in Denmark, the first supermarket opened that sells products at half price that have surpassed the “Sell by” date (but are perfectly edible), as an action not only aimed at people with lower purchasing power but also at those who want to take action against food waste. In France, laws prohibit supermarkets from throwing away or letting unsold products spoil. On the consumer side, there is the freegan movement, a group of people who, by choice, subsist on everything they find in the dumpsters of large supermarket chains (in addition to proclaiming other somewhat radical statutes, such as rejecting work, considering it part of the oppressive capitalist system).
What can we do as consumers in Mexico? Besides associations and food banks dedicated to collecting these products, we can start at home with simple actions, such as learning to distinguish between expiration dates and preferred consumption dates. The expiration date is the limit at which the sanitary and quality characteristics of the food are considered preserved; after this date, it is not suitable for sale or consumption. The preferred consumption date is the limit at which the manufacturer guarantees the product will retain its specific qualities; however, after this date, the product can still be consumed. In addition, careful planning of our weekly groceries and avoiding impulsive purchases would result in less waste.
The serious problem of food waste is not only further testimony to the grave social inequalities existing in the world; it is also evidence of a consumer society that is largely unaware of the severe damage to the planet and even less inclined to practice the solidarity necessary to survive as a society.
Originally published in El Economista
#sustainability #nutrition #waste
— This article was originally published in Spanish by Liliana Martínez Lomelí. Translation generated with AI from the original text.