Saturday Snippet: Woolly War on Waste
So here we all are at the start of a new growing season and good for us because a recent report published by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers states that some 30 – 50% of food produced never hits a human stomach! Caused by poor storage, transportation, a consumer reluctance to buy ‘ugly’ fruit and veg and the trend toward multi-buys are contributory factors. It’s not just the food we should worry about, but also the water, fertilisers and energy wasted in it’s production too. To get this into perspective for vegetable gardeners, it takes 6 buckets of water to produce one potato!
Food waste is a massive global problem that has negative humanitarian, environmental and financial implications. The good news is that with relative ease and a few simple changes to our habits, we can significantly shift this trend. And that’s where gardening comes in
As it so happens, vegetables and fruits are the most wasted foods in the UK accounting for 26%, presumably for the reasons cited above. Since our family, then with teeny babies, set off with our allotment some years ago, we have learned from our own experience, that growing vegetables and fruit has given us each a whole host of horticultural and culinary skills. But perhaps more than anything it has taught us all not to waste the things that we have grown, and to value the gifts of the land.
No matter how small your garden, even if you don’t have a windowsill, grow something you can eat, it’s important.
As well as raising awareness of the environmental and economic impact of food waste, Love Food Hate Waste provides tips and recipes to reduce food waste and save money – go see, it’s a great site.
The Think.Eat.Save website is a portal to showcase food saving ideas to provide a one-stop shop for news and resources, and to launch a call for everyone to take action on this global concern.
This year’s World Environment Day on June 5th is promoting Think.Eat.Save an anti-food waste and food loss campaign that encourages you to reduce your ‘foodprint’ – See more here.