LETTERS: Malaysia is the world leader in wasted food.
On an average day, 38,000 metric tonnes of waste is generated, 44 per cent of which is wasted food.
Every day, 3,000 metric tonnes of edible food are thrown away. This is sufficient to feed 10 million people per day.
Food disposal is considered a violation of Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, which addresses global food loss and waste.
There is a 13 per cent food loss in the supply chain, which includes harvesting, transporting, storing, and preparing.
Domestic food waste is primarily caused by industrialised countries. Effects on the social, economic, and environmental realms are intimately related to food waste.
The reasons for wasted food differ by country. Nevertheless, the habits and structure of food scraps in Malaysia are still unknown. As a result, buyer habits and knowledge can be used to change the food manufacturing cycle and the handling of food waste.
Malaysia is facing a major issue with food waste disposal due to the lack of adequate separation processes for solid municipal waste. This has resulted in the presence of greenhouse gas emissions in dumps.
Malaysians rarely recycle food particles because they believe that only solid waste products such as materials, plastic containers and newspapers are recyclable.
In a similar vein, an absence of knowledge on how to recycle food particles led to the disposal of dietary waste into dumps, resulting in environmental damage.
Residents are one of the major generators of food scraps in Malaysia, producing 8,745 metric tonnes a day, or 3,192,404 metric tonnes annually. This demonstrates that families were the most responsible for the development of food waste, thus causing environmental degradation.
Food waste also reduces the accessibility of food for the impoverished. In other terms, wasting just over a third of the world's food means that 868 million people would go hungry and malnourished.
All individuals must be conscious that the prevalence of wasted food not only has an economic and environmental impact, but also raises a moral quandary that must be handled urgently. As a consequence, at the global, local, and country levels, there is an increasing public interest in reducing wastage of food.
To create a more environmentally friendly food system, it is crucial to reduce food waste.
Here are some useful strategies for reducing food waste.
FIRST, construct a grocery list based on our preplanned meals. This will enable us to buy exactly what we require and lessen the likelihood that we will purchase stuff that turns out bad.
SECOND, store food that is perishable to maintain its freshness. Fruits and vegetables should be kept in the fridge, dry items should be kept in airtight containers, and extra or leftover food should be frozen for later use.
THIRD, when keeping food, follow the "first in, first out" approach. Move newly acquired products to the back of the fridge or pantry and older items to the front. This guarantees that older goods are used up before they spoil.
FOURTH but not least, understand the distinction between "sell by", "use by" and "best before" dates. These dates show the product's quality rather than its safety. Use our senses to assess whether food is fresh and safe to eat.
FIFTH, it is critical to focus on raising awareness and education, implementing efficient storage and handling practices, encouraging responsible consumer behaviour, improving supply chain coordination and efficiency, and establishing effective food recovery and redistribution systems.
DR RULIA AKHTAR
Research fellow, Ungku Aziz Centre for Development Studies, Universiti Malaya
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times