How can we reduce food waste?
Rising food prices, supply problems and a huge consumption of resources: there are many arguments why we should be more frugal about food. But one third of all food worldwide is thrown away.
What can we do? Is it enough to raise awareness, or do we need regulations? Join the discussion!
Preparing the generations, by means of Environmental Education, is a theme directly linked to sustainability.
Preparar as gerações, por meio da Educação Ambiental , trata- se de tema diretamente vinculado à sustentabilidade.
Starting with oneself. When I go to the supermarket I think about what I am going to eat strictly that week. That is to say, one time I buy apples and pineapple, another time I buy bananas and papaya. Not lemons, because I pick them from the trees planted where I rent. When I go to a restaurant and I don't go ahead to eat everything, I take the rest home. Now let's go to the government, which should make this problem visible and make its citizens aware of it through the implementation of workshops and clubs. And the media should make programs about this reality.
Empezando por uno mismo. Cuando voy al supermercado pienso en lo que voy a comer estrictamente esa semana. Es decir en una ocasión compro manzanas y piña, en otra guineo y papaya. Limones no, por que los recogo de los árboles sembrados en donde arriendo. Cuando voy a un restaurant y no avanzo a comer todo, el resto me lo llevo a casa. Ahora vamos por el gobierno que debe visibilizar este problema y concientizar de ello a sus ciudadanos mediante la implementación de talleres y clubes . Y los medios informativos que hicieran programas de esta realidad.
For current « wasters », advice may be futile. BUT there. Is an essential and neglected task for parents to educate their children to avoid waste. I had the often painful message in my youth when my parents insisted: « What you take on your plate, you must eat. » Interesting, there are a few restaurants with buffet-style service that charge for plates filed with food not completely consumed.
It is essential to manage food at home, to rotate and organize purchases according to the planned consumption period, and to invest in education.
Es fundamental el manejo en el hogar de los alimentos la rotación y organizar las compras acordes con el consume en el periodo consumo planeado se requiere invertir en educación.
Maybe another question in this area is: How can we grow more food closer to those who consume itand, by doing so cut down distribution time and costs and avoid food passing some sell-by date? Also, why not encourage more food growing in Africa, as well as educate about more effective ways of growing food?
There are many feasible options available, not just how we can stop food wastage.
I also think we need to return to healthier eating habits, which definitely has to include more fruit and veg, rather than a constant barrage of 'ping' dinners and fast food consumption.
Hi,
Looks like a very much interesting discussion. The cost of living due to the pandemic and wars have made food price to soar in many part of the globe. But in many rich countries and households even in my country conserving and valuing food doesn't seem taking place. Foods come from natural resources of the soil and lands, and inappropriate and excessive use and waste of foods will surly deplete these resources. There would also many food competing factors as we are in a challenging millennium. Hence, I am favor of imposing food regulations and public food awareness. That is, waste of food needs Gov'ts policies and regulations like regulating drugs and medicines, waste disposal and the env't, climate change etc. Additionally, personally would be happy if there is public awareness through public teaching using TVs and Radios as it is usually done for health issues and medicines, energy use, appropriate uses of resources etc. Appropriate use of food also helps families and communities to save their money and resources. Avoiding waste of foods contributes significantly to the economies of countries. I hope I touched some points with regard to the point of the discussion. (Thank you so much)
Yes, there you point out a central point that will ultimately lead to regulation or behavioral change: The urgency, or pain threshold. This is comparable to the climate crisis, where action is also only taken when the effects become literally catastrophic. This is not meant to sound pessimistic. The extinction of mankind has often been predicted. Until now, however, we have always acted in our favor (and often in favor of nature).
Ja, da weisen Sie auf einen zentralen Punkt hin, der letztendlich zu einer Regulierung oder Verhaltensänderung führen wird: Die Dringlichkeit, resp. Schmerzgrenze. Das ist vergleichbar mit der Klimakrise, wo auch erst gehandelt wird, wenn die Auswirkungen wortwörtlich katastrophal werden. Das soll nun nicht pessimistisch klingen. Der Menschheit wurde schon oft das Aussterben vorausgesagt. Bis jetzt handelten wir jedoch letztendlich immer zu unseren Gunsten (und oft auch zu Gunsten der Natur).
I have no such problem in my family.
I have been taught to respect food and take only what I can eat (communal servings).
My children are taught the same. There is zero food wastage in my family. Anything not eaten is kept in fridge and recycled next day for a quick lunch or snack.
To truly change this, teach people to be frugal and be mindful of their own wastages. Send them one week in poor areas of India or Africa. Show them videos.
All we can do for ourselves is to plan our consumption and purchase.
我们自己能做的, 就是计划食用量, 再购买.
Going back to how our grandfathers cooked. Simpler dishes, with fewer ingredients..
In Geneva you can attend special workshops which help you to lower your waste. An association called Zerowaste does this work. If you care about reducing your waste sign up to a session, or if you want to support their work make a donation.
Review the "use by date" system, after which the food is currently wasted. Many food items are definitely acceptable for a period after the "use by date" and with an extension could avoid unnecessary waste. Perhaps also introduce a pricing system which allows increasing steps of price discounts as the "use by date" is passed.
Shame on the waste
浪费可耻
In view of the fragile supply chains in a pandemic or natural disaster, the question arises whether it is not better to deliberately grow too much food, sell it here in the stores and then throw some of it from the kitchen onto the compost than to grow just enough food and then have too little food in a natural disaster.
The dilemma with the lack of appreciation for food mentioned by Marco Brenni is rather a more fundamental social problem since other consumer goods such as cell phones, computer goods, toys, coffee machines etc. are also affected. are affected.
Who still cares about which material goods today?
It becomes really bad if no more to living beings like humans care is carried.
Mit Blick auf die fragilen Versorgungsketten in einer Pandemie oder Naturkatastrophe stellt sich die Frage ob es nicht besser ist bewusst zu viele Nahrungsmittel anzubauen, hier in den Läden zu verkaufen und dann somanches von der Küche auf den Kompost zu werfen als knapp genügend Nahrungsmittel anzubauen und dann bei einer Naturkatastrophe zu wenig Nahrungsmittel zu haben.
Das Dilemma mit der von Marco Brenni erwähnten fehlenden Wertschätzung für die Nahrungsmittel ist eher ein grundlegenderes gesellschaftliches Problem da auch andere Konsumgüter wie Mobiltelefone, Computerwaren, Spielzeuge, Kaffeemaschinen usw. Betroffen sind.
Wer legt heute noch Sorge zu welchen Sachgegenständen?
Richtig schlimm wird es wenn nicht mehr zu Lebewesen wie Menschen Sorge getragen wird.
Don’t buy more than you need especially if you have food shops right on your doorstep as is often the case in urban Switzerland.
Das ist ein interessanter Ansatz. Seit ich für unsere 4-köpfige Familie zu Fuss einkaufe, tue ich dies viel bewusster.
Well affordable shops are not at every corner and thous little shops charge a lot, I don't think that's a solution for many who have to commute to buy food.
Force restaurants to offer half portions
“Force”. I suppose you mean for a drastically reduced price. Making a smaller portion means the same amount of work to prepare a meal, but only a tiny savings in actual food cost. Unfortunately most people expect drastic reductions in price to go along with a smaller portion that costs a restaurant almost as much as the large portion to produce.
How about bringing back “pig slop” options for people and restaurants to be able to efficiently dispose of excess food? At the moment restaurants have to spend money to prepare food in advance so it can be served in a reasonable time, and pay again if it isn’t all consumed, to send it to a bio energy producer. There was a time when local farmers were happy to receive food waste, but rules have changed and it is now forbidden.
I would like Switzerland to start with getting rid of their horrible over packaging problems first. Why does so much have to be wrapped in plastic? Why does dry food even need to be packaged? Why are so many boxes and containers only half or two thirds full?? Why are any fruits and vegetables wrapped at all? What happened to the enthusiasm of the right to return packaging to your retailer? Talks about people planning to unpackage their groceries at the Kassa were quickly forgotten (if Migro and Coop etc. suddenly had to dispose of tons of packaging, they would quickly reconsider their and their suppliers packaging habits.
The heads of people (!) accustomed for more than half a century to the overabundance of food displayed at more than affordable prices on supermarket shelves as if we lived in the land of eternal cuccagna should be changed !
Too much supply = devaluation of food (!) that becomes "disposable" like any other cheap merchandise , that is, without the atavistic respect it enjoyed in the past anymore. An uncivilized, even anti-ecological drift, against which the new geopolitical situation that will be one of wars and famines will curb.
Against this wasteful and unsustainable drift we need a good lesson in humility!
Andrebbe cambiata la testa della gente (!) abituata da oltre mezzo secolo alla sovrabbondanza di cibo esposto a prezzi più che accessibili negli scaffali dei supermercati come se abitassimo nel paese dell'eterna cuccagna !
Troppa offerta = svalutazione del cibo (!) che diventa "usa e getta" come qualsiasi altra mercanzia a buon mercato , cioè senza più l'atavico rispetto di cui godeva nel passato. Una deriva incivile, pure anti ecologica, contro cui metterà freno la nuova situazione geopolitica che sarà di guerre e carestie.
Contro questo andazzo sprecone e insostenibile ci vuole una bella lezione di umiltà!
Thank you for this tip. I'm always amazed when I realize what a large selection our small neighborhood supermarket has - and I always try to contain my anger if one of my favorite products disappears. Will appeals to humility in this regard help? In my opinion, unfortunately, we cannot avoid introducing certain regulations.
Danke für diesen Hinweis. Ich bin immer wieder aufs neue verblüfft, wenn ich realisiere, welch grosse Auswahl unser kleiner Quartier-Supermarkt hat - und versuche jeweils meinen Ärger zu zügeln, sollte eines meiner Lieblingsprodukten verschwinden. Ob hier Appelle an eine diesbezügliche Demut weiterhelfen? Meines Erachtens kommen wir leider nicht darum herum, gewisse Regulierungen einzuführen.
Improve storage capacity for food, freezers for example. Also if there is excess of food, lower the price of food that cannot be used as compost. Freeze excess and send to people who have no food at all. Stop producing junk food and focus on building sustainable economy. Example: we talk about too much garbage but Nestle and everyone who followed Nestle has plastic or alu capsules in a paper box. Can we just go back to buying one big sack of coffee? Electronics are designed to fail in 5 years or less. Clothes are designed to last nothing and etc etc. We eat, dress nd use too much junk. Food waste is the last of our concerns.
Hi ANONA, I wouldn’t say food waste is the last of our concerns but I agree it is part of a bigger problem. Like you pointed out, Coffee “packaged” in capsules, or as SWISSCOTT also pointed out in their comment, many food items are wrapped in plastic. These are all important things to consider.
How do you think this problem could be solved? Will people learn to be more mindful? Or do you think we need regulations?
As with everything, most people will make little or no change to their habits if there is no regulation to do so.
Wie bei allem: Die Meisten werden wenig oder gar nichts an ihren Gewohnheiten ändern, wenn es keine Regulierung dafür gibt.
The same is probably true of the fight against the climate crisis in general.
Dasselbe trifft wohl ganz allgemein auf den Kampf gegen die Klimakrise zu.
And even if there were regulations, there is always a "black market", unless you live in a surveillance state. And in such a state, the risk is very high that someone with power will encroach.
Furthermore, who controls that those who set up the regulations do not build in backdoors for themselves, their relatives and acquaintances so that the regulation does not affect them? The probability of a two-class society is then very high, which in turn can lead to a further division of society and even more residual security reduction.
Und wenn es auch Regulierungen gäbe, so gibt es immer einen "Schwarzmarkt", es sei denn, man lebt in einem Überwachungsstaat. Und in solch einem ist das Risiko sehr hoch dass jemand mit Macht übergriffig wird.
Des weiteren, wer kontrolliert, dass diejenigen, die die Regulierungen aufstellen nicht für sich selbst, ihre Verwanden und Bekannten Hintertüren einbauen so dass die Regulierung sie nicht betrifft? Die Wahrscheinlichkeit einer Zweiklassengesellschaft ist dann sehr hoch was wiederum zu einer weiteren Spaltung der Gesellschaft und noch mehr Rest-Sicherheit-Abbau führen kann.
Major distributors or large canteens (e.g. in hospitals) must also really start with their food disposal.
Employees are not allowed to take ANYTHING home, including food that is thrown away right in front of them when they go home in the evening. Or it must be paid for at the fictitious retail price...... in complicated payment registers, even if the boss himself has planned wrongly.
In kitchens, leftover food is highly punished (I've also heard of immediate expulsion).
Wirklich ansetzen müssen auch Grossverteiler oder Grosskantinen (zb in spitälern) mit ihrer Foodentsorgung.
Angestellte dürfen NICHTS mit nach Hause nehmen, auch solches, das direkt vor ihren Augen fortgeworfen wird, am Abend, wenn sie nach Hause gehen. Oder es muss zum fiktiven Verkaufspreis bezahlt werden...... in komplizierten Bezahlkassen, sogar wenn der Chef selber falsch disponiert hat.
In Küchen wird Resteessen hoch bestraft (hab auch von sofortigen Rauswürfen gehört)
I have also heard about this. Is there a legal basis for this? Hygiene regulations sometimes prevent secondary recycling.
Davon habe ich auch schon gehört. Gibt es dazu eine rechtliche Grundlage? Hygienevorschriften unterbinden teilweise Zweitverwertungen.
Provide in a renting apartments bigger freezers, so we can store our food for longer and not decide on a weekly bases what has to go if it can be frozen for future.
Das ist ein interessanter Ansatz; insbesondere mit dem Fokus auf Mietwohnungen. In der Schweiz wird dies wohl fast nur in den Einfamilienhäusern praktiziert (wobei dadurch wiederum der Energieverbraucht steigt).
I think energy consumption by a freezer is less than producing the food I can not freeze all over again. The market for single families houses is very hot after pandemic so I guess most of the swiss do live in a single family houses or apartments.
Da haben Sie wohl recht, sofern die Gefriertruhe effizient zur Verminderung von Essens-Abfall genutzt wird.
ok
Excellent point ! My fridge is big enough but the freeze compartment is really tiny. No baker in proximity and no space to freeze excess bread. Thus I regularly dump about half. No way to find smaller packs in supermarkets.
Join the conversation!