Zero Waste
Food waste is a big problem that happens when we throw away food that could have been eaten. It happens in our homes, in stores, and in restaurants. Even though there are people in the world who don't have enough to eat, we still waste a lot of food. In fact, about one-third of all the food produced in the world is wasted!
This has a big impact on the environment and on people who don't have enough food to eat.
Video
Puzzles
English
Take a Stance
Task 1: Write or draw a simple statement or symbol representing your stance against food waste.
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After you have completed your statement or drawing, share it with others.
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Have a short discussion about why each stance is important and how small actions can make a difference in reducing food waste.
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Encourage mindfulness of food waste at home and explore ways to reduce it.
Experiments and Challenges
Task 1
Take the ‘zero waste challenge’: For one week at home, reduce your food waste and challenge your friends to do the same. Measure how much food waste you create by weighing it daily for seven days and see how many kilograms are produced weekly.
Compare this with your friend’s results. What tips are there for reducing wood waste – have a pet rabbit, don’t peel fruit and vegetables if possible, only cook what you need, and get creative with leftovers!
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Task 2
Challenging food waste in school! With the help of teachers, measure the amount of lunchtime food waste created in one day before challenging everyone to limit how much they produce. Each class weighs its lunch waste before and after the challenge and calculates the difference.
How much food waste could be saved by just doing this one thing?
Food waste means we are not making the best use of our produce. In 2022, in the EU, nearly 59 million tonnes of food waste (131 kg/inhabitant) are generated annually, with an associated market value estimated at 132 billion euros. Roughly speaking, around 10% of food made available to EU consumers (at retail, food services and households) may be wasted.
Weird and Wonderful Facts
25% of food waste that is wasted in the UK, USA, and in Europe could feed all hungry people on earth.
A 2022 World Wildlife Fund report says that food waste needs to be halved by 2030 - one major cause of food waste is supermarkets rejection of 'imperfect' fruit and vegetables
Food waste is the third largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, after the United States and China.
