Global Food Waste: how to Effectively and Efficiently Battle Food Waste

Abstract

The topic of my research will be about finding initiatives and/or implementing existing initiatives on combatting global food waste and eventually helping those in need. So basically it is about creating a sustainable balance in the food industry and market on a global scale.

It is a relevant topic that affects our economy and lives every day, directly and indirectly. While in one country people are starving, in another country people are wasting edible food that could’ve been distributed to areas in need of that food.

Also it is relevant to research how excess food causes a population to camp with consequences like obesity, diabetes, etc…

My study around this topic will be conducted by reading a lot of (scientific) articles which will display facts and statistics around the topic. I anticipate to find out that the countries who waste the most food are developed countries while the countries lacking the most food are underdeveloped countries. But of course this is a stereotype and I think I can find a lot of information to contradict my anticipation.

The countries that waste the least food and battle food waste the most will be the countries I will study to learn HOW they battle food waste. I will then compare these countries to the highest food wasting countries and see There is no possibility for me to predict what the implications of my thesis will be based on my current knowledge. This will require a lot of work and research so I will be able to give implications once I have the needed information.

Research Context

Food is one of the basic needs for living things. While some are going hungry in some parts of the globe especially in many underdeveloped nations where they face adverse climate change leading to famine, floods and drought, others are wasting away this essential basic need.

The research question would then be “What can we learn from countries that score well on the food sustainability index and how can we encourage low scoring countries to implement their government policy on food waste and loss, agriculture-related conservation and research, and nutrition education. And how can we eventually help and educate countries that suffer from hunger?

I consider the research question to be relevant because it is not a question we ask ourselves in our daily lives although it is a part of our daily lives. The top scored countries on the food sustainability index overall (in 2017) are France, Japan, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Portugal, Italy, South Korea and Hungary. In general, as I said above, those countries typically demonstrate strong and effectively implemented government policy on food waste and loss, agriculture-related conservation and research, and nutrition education. As we can see most of these countries are European countries. And if we compare the low scoring countries (Norway, Canada, Denmark, Australia, the US, Finland, etc…) We can see that it is shocking how little these countries are learning from their neighboring countries.

Programs like THRIVE, for example, help farmers in Tanzania and other countries access improved seed varieties, fertilizers, and storage facilities. World Vision staff there teach farmers proven methods to increase crop yield. They help communities work together to more effectively move their products to market.

World Vision also helps families in emergencies, for example, who lose crops to drought or have been displaced by conflict and miss the harvest. In 2016, World Vision used $75.1 million in food grants to help nourish children and families. World Vision remains the largest distributor of food provided by the World Food Program, having delivered 112,129 metric tons of food supplies in 2016.” So from this we can see that there are organizations that are working on combatting hunger.

Also: “Certain aspects of food systems may be taken for granted in developed countries. For example, food systems need well-functioning market dynamics and linkages in the food supply chain for food to move safely and cheaply from farm to fork. Food systems also require government support to create an enabling environment through adequate transport, communication and energy infrastructure, as well as legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks. These kinds of market dynamics and public investments are critically weak or missing from some developing countries’ food systems. As such, these dimensions of the food system also require tracking and monitoring.”

As stated above, I hope to reach a certain awareness among the low scoring countries (on the food sustainability index) and hope to encourage them to help “hunger” countries and come up with possible solutions that will benefit the world now, and the future generations leaving a legacy of highly sustainable solutions that will lead to a global improvement.

Bibliography

1. Alkon, A. H. (2011). Cultivating Food Justice: Race, Class, and Sustainability (Food, Health, and the Environment). The MIT Press.
2. Nestle: Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (December 10, 2004).
3. Yasemin Y. Kor, J. P. (2017, December 19 ). How Large Food Retailers Can Help Solve the Food Waste Crisis.
4. (https://hbr.org/2017/12/how-large-food-retailers-can-help-solve-the-food-waste-crisis
5. https://hbr.org/product/nestle-sustainable-agriculture-initiative/705018-PDF-ENG
6. http://foodsustainability.eiu.com/importance-of-tracking-global-food-system-sustainability/)

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