Food wastage & hunger

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that, having emerged as a food-surplus country with a robust agriculture sector, India was ready to share its experience to help solve the global problem of hunger and malnutrition amid the challenge posed by climate change. Inaugurating the 32nd International Conference of Agricultural Economists in New Delhi, he also pointed out that India has developed as many as 1,900 new climate-resilient varieties of seeds for various crops to benefit the country’s farmers, including some types of rice that require 25 percent less water. He also stated that India has also developed a basket of “superfoods” like black rice and millet, which the country is ready to share with the world, especially to benefit the Global South. The Prime Minister’s utterances have a direct connection to Target 12.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which calls for reducing by half the per capita global food waste by 2030. Reducing food loss and waste is critical, among other things, to improve food security and nutrition, and contribute towards environmental sustainability. According to the State of Food and Agriculture Report of 2019, food lost after harvest on farms and at the transport, storage, and processing stages stands at 13.8 percent globally, which is about 400 billion US dollars. The Food Waste Index Report 2021, on the other hand, has revealed that the per capita household food waste generation was much greater than what was believed to be correct until then. According to the UN Environment Programme’s food waste index report, Indian homes waste about 68.7 million metric tonnes of food annually, which, in simple words, stands at about 55 kg per person. According to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, about one-third of all food produced in India gets wasted or spoilt before it is even eaten. This is a very serious concern, as it indicates that people not only waste food deliberately but aren’t even aware of it. A large quantity of food gets wasted during harvest, storage, and transportation. Moreover, many Indians, while eating out, think they can waste food because they have paid for it. Though restaurants or vendors don’t face any loss as they are charging consumers, the economy and the planet suffer immensely. Another culprit is the big, fat Indian wedding. Studies have shown that about 40 percent of the food prepared for weddings and parties goes to waste and is simply thrown away after the event ends.