Why we need to stop food waste

It’s a huge problem, and it affects all of us.

Respect Food is our way of highlighting the importance of not wasting food. From the severe effects it has on the environment, to how it can deepen the hole in our pockets, food waste is everyone’s problem. Our products go further than making your life easier – they make it easier for everyone else too. With our EcoChamp products having such little impact on the environment with award-winning results, we strive to help the planet. Reducing food waste helps the planet too, from the air to the land, to everyone on it.

As Grundig, only in 2016, we’ve saved 25 tons of food, 4 community kitchens have been launched and 48,300 dishes served across these projects – all done with wasted/surplus food. If you want to contribute to the cause at home, have a look at our delicious Respect Food recipes.

See these three reasons why we need to stop food waste.

1. Many people don’t have food to eat
With millions of people being underfed and malnourished around the world, it is imperative that we make the most of the food we have. Each person in Europe and North America wastes more food than their own body weight per year, which only shows how big of a problem it really is. Food waste in developed countries is roughly equivalent to all the food produced by developing countries. Just the food wasted in Europe alone would be enough to feed 200million starving people.

2. Climate change and ecosystems
Wasted food would be the third largest producer of carbon dioxide if it were a country. With 3.3billion tons of carbon dioxide produced, food waste has a big impact on the world climate. With more food being wasted, landfills continue to inch higher and higher, attracting wildlife of all sorts and putting delicate ecosystems out of balance. Seafood waste being thrown back into the ocean is also having a detrimental impact on sea life and their natural balance.

3. Our pockets
Climate change isn’t just bad for the planet. Food prices are expected to rise by up to 84% by 2050 solely because of how climate change will affect production. It’s also leading to a massive amount of money wasted already, with each household in the UK alone throwing away approximately £470 worth of perfectly edible food. Food waste as a whole amounts to $1trillion lost.

So keep these facts and other food waste tips and tricks in mind next time you are about to throw your food away. Every little bit of food saved helps, and it can make more of a difference than you may think.

Sources:
https://foodtank.com/news/2015/06/world-environment-day-10-facts-about-food-waste-from-bcfn/
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jan/10/uk-throwing-away-13bn-of-food-each-year-latest-figures-show