blog
Feeding India Logo
Feeding India | August 22, 2022 | 2 min(s) read
How reducing food waste can play a role in ending hunger

The paradox of food waste and hunger:

While nearly 195 million people in India go to bed hungry every day, an estimated 40% of all food produced goes to waste each year. From the farm (at the production level) to homes (at the consumer level), multiple gaps cause thousands of tonnes of food to go to waste.

Stressors of food loss and waste:

In developing countries such as India, food waste occurs primarily at the production level, as grains and produce are lost due to inefficient food systems due to limitations in technical and managerial services. However, with a rising urban population, India also faces food waste at the consumer level where overconsumption and excess purchase happen leading to waste.

With 40% of the food produced going to waste every year before it even reaches the markets to the consumers, and an additional Visit W3Schools.com! 50kg per person being thrown away on an individual level, that’s tonnes of food that could be feeding the millions of people in our country who are undernourished.

Gender Plays A Part In Food Insecurity

A social, economic, and environmental concern:

Food waste isn’t just about completely edible food being discarded; it affects multiple levels differently. When food goes to waste, immediately, it affects individuals who could have benefited from its consumption – this food goes to waste for reasons which could be entirely avoidable like having more reliable systems in place or even not adhering to “cosmetic” standards of food in grocery stores.

But this food waste also aggravates food insecurity among people – it reduces income for producers, increases cost for consumers, and overall, reduces access to food, especially for more vulnerable communities. It also creates a burden on the environment as the production, distribution, and decomposition of food waste produces methane gas, which is a strong contributor to greenhouse gases that cause global warming. Food loss explicitly shows a big gap in our food systems – when food goes to waste, everything that went into producing it, from labour to water to human capital, also goes to waste.

Shrinking the waste:

Correcting our food consumption can have multiple economic gains, environmental benefits, and community strengthening. Food redistribution can help support individuals most in need of food support. Reducing the over purchase of food, only taking portions that one can finish, and not discarding food that is fit for consumption can also alleviate food waste while also helping an individual save money on food.

Building sustainability in our food systems:

Putting in the resources, economic or research-based, to strengthen the fragmented food systems can also be a pathway to reducing food waste. Improving the production, distribution, storage, and labelling of products can reduce the burden of food waste on the nation.

Reducing our food waste can have multiple benefits, just as the existence of it has multiple disadvantages. Reducing food waste is cost-saving as an individual only purchases as much is required; it reduces the strain it puts on the environment as lesser energy is consumed for production and decomposition; better production practices benefit food producers, sellers, and consumers; and, most importantly, it helps feed a person who would otherwise perhaps have to sleep another night on an empty stomach.

More for you to read

Feeding India | February 7, 2024 | 3 min(s) read
Budget Highlights: Paving the Path towards a Malnutrition-Free India @2047

“During the ‘Amrit Kaal’ of independence, when the nation celebrates 100 years of freedom in 2047, at that time, the Tricolour should be of a developed India ” – Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi On India’s 75th Independence Day, Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi unveiled the visionary initiative ‘Amrit

Feeding India | December 1, 2022 | 3 min(s) read
Understanding the malnutrition crisis in India

Malnutrition is a serious condition which occurs when your body gets either too little (Undernourishment), or too many (Over nourishment) of the essential nutrients required for a human being to function. In other words, it’s the absence of proper nutrition. Malnutrition has adverse effects on the body’s growth or form,

Feeding India | September 1, 2022 | 2 min(s) read
Enabling children’s development through nutrition and edtech interventions

As the entire nation was reeling from the aftermath of the pandemic, children were put at risk of being the biggest victims. While children did not directly face the implications of covid-19 with respect to its effects on health, the socioeconomic effects of it would be life-altering. Lakhs of children

Feeding India | July 1, 2022 | 3 min(s) read
Women Are Hungrier: How Gender Plays A Part In Food Insecurity

In a world where 690 million people are hungry, 60% of them are women. Gender disparity is omnipresent, even in the case of hunger and undernutrition. Deep-seated intra-household gaps lead to inequitable access to food and nutrition. Commonly, in Indian households, women are the first to bear the brunt of