It is undoubtedly the case that food wastage is having pivotal effects on social, environmental, and economic conditions. There are several reasons for this problem, such as overproduction and oversupply in the food industry, and various measures could be taken, including making food plans, understanding labels, and composting food to stop further exacerbation of the situation.
There are two main factors that have led to food wastage. The major one is oversupply in the food industry due to retailers’ desire to meet customers’ expectations, ultimately leading to overstock and unsold goods. The second reason is the strict aesthetic standards of supermarkets for fruits and vegetables, which consequently causes the rejection of produce that does not meet their criteria because of size or shape, even if they are perfectly edible. For instance, according to UN food and agriculture statistics, it is estimated that almost one-third of produced food never gets eaten.
However, these problems can be solved by educating customers to make food plans and use methods of sharing food, as well as improving management and forecasting. The second solution for the problem described above would be reducing overproduction, which can substantially cut down waste. A successful example of this is companies like Walmart and Tesco, which have started using advanced forecasting software to better predict demand, resulting in less overstock and food waste.
In conclusion, despite the clear reasons for food waste, various measures could be taken by governments to tackle the problem of food excess