While 800 million people do not have enough food, we waste 1.3 billion tonnes of food produced for our consumption. This food we waste is enough to feed the hungry twice.

Food waste is an essential topic to learn about in waste management. Food waste begins at home, but the scale increases when we talk about community kitchens, restaurants & events. Apart from this, food gets wasted even before it reaches our plates in the form of “ugly produce” that cannot be sold. Food waste affects everybody.

Want to learn more about food waste? Use this quick guide which refers to articles & panel discussions across several #wastedialog.

• You can start with this article that untangles the behavioral drivers behind food waste, which is partly based on this panel discussion on behavioral change and food waste.
• Follow this up with Reducing Hunger and Food Waste, where panelists from Food Shift & Recovering Leftover Cuisine share thoughts on engaging communities to avoid surplus from food going to waste, while also strengthening communities. Follow up with deeper understanding of reducing food waste in this panel which discusses to what extent is food packaging creating added value in reducing food waste. Continue your learning on food waste prevention with this interview where  Benjamin Lephilibert talks about Multi-Dimensional Approach to Food Waste Prevention.
• Food rescue and recovery is an important part of household food waste as well. So, this panel on Empowering Households to Reduce Waste is an essential part of learning about food waste. Learn how Karen Cannard’s Rubbish Diet and Community Action Group are engaging households. Continue the learning with the webinar on Helping Residents to Source-Separate using Behavioural Science which discusses a study that tested the effectiveness of setting social norms vs rewarding residents for recycling food waste.
• Expanding food recovery programs is a critical action in a community’s overall strategy to reduce wasted food, but some efforts may deliver more community value than others. The webinar on Optimizing Food Rescue Programs helps prioritize strategies to deliver the best community value. Globally, one-third of food is wasted or lost. Meanwhile, many people face food insecurity and cannot access affordable, nutritious food. Food rescue charities help bridge this divide. Learn about the initiative of a specific food rescue charity – OzHarvest – where Beth Fitzpatrick talks about rescuing food in the times of the pandemic and beyond.
• Upcycling Food creates value from food that would otherwise be wasted. We discuss some of the challenges and opportunities for upcycling food, as well as, international developments in upcycled food standards. Continue learning about upcycling food waste in this webinar about Circular Food where we delve into the benefits, risks, practical applications and challenges of turning surplus food into animal feed.
• There is an overload of food waste initiatives, but which are the ones which create impact? The webinar on Sustainable Food Chains discusses how a food waste initiative can create impact. Extend this learning with our panel on understanding the impacts of Food Waste Legislation with case studies from Europe and the US.
• Learn about the current state of Organic Waste Management in Latin America in a bilingual (English and Spanish) webinar with specific examples from Peru, Colombia and Costa Rica.
• After understanding the basics of our consumption culture, and its connection to food waste, learn about how a technology, small as it may seem, can help deal with inedible food waste, while also mitigating climate change & reducing costs — food waste disposers.
• Composting plays a big role in increasing food security, combating desertification, and helping reduce atmospheric greenhouse gas levels. Learn about this way to deal with organic waste through successful city-wide composting programs in developed & developing countries. Follow this up with the webinar on How Compost Helps Feed the Globe and Tackle Climate Change to understand the role of compost in sequestering carbon in the soil. Additionally, know more about Successful City-Wide Composting Programs.
• Continue the learning on composting by understanding how to address Organic Waste by Breeding Black Soldier Fly Larvae. Know more about
• Learn to take action on food waste with this training session on Setting Up And Growing Your Organic Waste Management Initiative.

Is there a specific topic on the food waste that you want us to host a panel discussion on? Or, are there any other panels or articles (external to this website) that you think should be linked as part of this guide, do let us know in the comments.

If you found our guide useful, please share it on social media. It will help others get access to this high quality knowledge from some of the best minds worldwide.

CLICK TO TWEET:

Want to learn about food waste? This resource from @bewastewise is a good start.

Here is a quick guide to food waste from @bewastewise