war on wastefulness

The War On Wastefulness

Did you know that about a third of food produced for human consumption is wasted? That’s according to Oxfam Australia, part of a global not-for-profit organisation working to help the environment and communities in poverty.

When you scrape some food off your plate and into the bin, you’re not simply throwing away the food itself. It’s also all the water, energy and other resources that have gone into the production of the food.

That includes growing, harvesting, transporting, processing, packaging, distributing and marketing the final food product!

Overall, Australians throw away around $8 billion worth of food every year. That’s food that could have nourished you and your family, or another family in need.

Waste may be a global problem, but individuals can do a lot to work towards a solution in the war on wastefulness.

How to win the war on wastefulness

When food waste is such a widespread problem, you might ask yourself what you can really do to ease the struggle.

It starts with simple steps. Plan your meals, write shopping lists and choose foods that can spoil quickly wisely. In order words, only buy it if you know you will eat it.

You can freeze many meals that you cook in bulk and use leftovers later as part of another meal or sandwich, which you can take to school or work in reusable sandwich wrap.

A fun way to get family involved can be using bright marker pens and stickers to label food with a ‘use by’ date. That way the kids can play a part in making sure that the most ripe fruit is eaten first and that the veggies usually hidden away in the back of the fridge get consumed.

Step by step, your contribution to the war on wastefulness and helping with reducing the world’s waste will make a difference.

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