The global issue of food waste: thinking beyond the table
As water is used in the production of food, food wastage means water wastage too. And food wastage is the third biggest contributor to global carbon emissions.
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WE live in a world of diminishing resources - but growing appetites. In fact, about a third of the food produced for human consumption every year is lost or wasted, said the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Singapore alone generated about 800,000 tonnes of food waste last year - equivalent to two bowls of food per person per day - an amount which has risen by 45 per cent over the past 10 years.
Given the pride of place food holds in Singaporeans' collective identity and as a small island-nation that imports most of its food, this might come as a surprise. But this is a statistic that Singaporeans should be aware of, and, hopefully, endeavour to change by conserving, maximising, re-using and recycling, as much as possible, to reduce food waste.
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