World Disco Soup Day: The Impact of Food Waste
By Sruthi Eapen, Research and Advocacy Intern at Slow Food Portland
“Reducing our own food waste will significantly contribute to reducing our carbon footprint. ”
The Earth, our shared home, is on the brink of irreversible damage related to climate change. Protecting our home requires unified global action. Earth Day allows us to celebrate and reflect on climate action and form creative plans to reduce our personal carbon footprints. The theme for Earth Day 2021 is “Restore our Earth.” Restoration is needed due to the increased carbon emissions and climate change caused by decades of unsustainable practices. A large proportion of these carbon emissions stem from food systems, leading to the adoption of the term “foodprint.” Using carbon “foodprint calculators,” you can explore your personal foodprint. Food waste significantly contributes to this “foodprint.” In April, Slow Food Youth Networks worldwide celebrate World Disco Soup Day, a creative celebration of preparing food that would otherwise go to waste. This event raises awareness about food waste and encourages people to work toward alleviating the environmental burden it creates.
In the US, USDA estimates that 30-40% of the food supply is wasted2. This is equivalent to every family in the US throwing away around $1,600 per year3. Having that extra money could fund a new laptop or fun vacation every year! As individuals, these staggeringly high numbers often make it seem like the solution to the problem is out of our hands. However, a large proportion of food waste is at an individual level with 61% of the measured food waste occurring at the household level1. Therefore, the food choices we make as individuals are instrumental in reducing food waste and improving these statistics.
The food system and our environment are strongly intertwined. Food waste has significant environmental impacts. According to the World Wildlife Fund, emissions related to food waste are equivalent to that of 37 million cars4. Globally, 8-10% of greenhouse gas emissions are related to food waste annually1. Therefore, reducing food waste would alleviate some of the greenhouse gas burden that our planet faces.
When people waste food, it often ends up in a landfill along with other waste products. Currently, food is the largest component of landfill waste in the US3. When food waste is discarded in a landfill, it produces methane. Methane emissions are worse than CO2 emissions regarding trapping heat, which further contributes to climate change5.
Food waste also depletes natural resources such as water. Almost every food item requires water for production. Even throwing out a small snack such as a banana costs 160 liters of water6. The product gallery tool developed by Water Footprint Network allows you to research the water footprint of many products.
Reducing our own food waste will significantly contribute to reducing our carbon footprint. Below are some steps you can take to reduce your food waste:
Use leftover food: Find unique ways to use food that is about to be wasted. For example, participate in World Disco Soup Day! Also, websites such as MyFridgeFood provide you with recipes based on the foods you already have in your house.
Buy “damaged produce”: Damaged, bruised, and imperfect produce often gets thrown out of grocery stores and wasted. However, you can buy this food through companies such as Imperfect Foods.
Eat a sustainable diet: Overall, you can lower your “foodprint” by eating a full or partial plant-based diet using food items that take less emissions and water to produce. Tools such as this meat calculator show how much water and resources you could save by reducing meat consumption.
Compost: If you have produce that is no longer safe to eat, composting it can prevent it from ending up in a landfill, which will reduce methane emissions. Studies estimate that composting would eliminate 150 kg of food per household from landfills5.
Donate/Share with others: If you have more food than you can eat, consider sharing some of it with friends or family! Or, if you have excess non-spoiled food, you can donate it to your local food pantry. This tool provided by Feeding America locates food pantries near you: https://www.feedingamerica.org/find-your-local-foodbank.
Further resources:
To read more about foodprints and climate-conscious diets: https://www.earthday.org/campaign/foodprints-for-future/
Bibliography
1United Nations Environment Programme (2021). Food Waste Index Report 2021. Nairobi.
2USDA. “Food Waste FAQs.” U.S. Department of Agriculture, n.d. https://www.usda.gov/foodwaste/faqs.
3Recycle Track Systems. “Food Waste in America in 2021: Statistics & Facts | RTS.” https://www.rts.com/resources/guides/food-waste-america/.
4World Wildlife Fund. “Fight Climate Change by Preventing Food Waste.” https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/fight-climate-change-by-preventing-food-waste.
5RESET “Global Food Waste and Its Environmental Impact | Green Living.” https://en.reset.org/knowledge/global-food-waste-and-its-environmental-impact-09122018.
6Water Footprint Network. “Product Gallery,” n.d. https://waterfootprint.org/en/resources/interactive-tools/product-gallery/.