Food Wastage in India

It is sad to see that India, being one of the leading producers of a variety of agricultural commodities, has to face the issue of food scarcity and food wastage and it is very crucial to take steps to avoid food wastage. As per the reports of UNEP, in 2019 the total food wastage in India was 931 million tonnes out of which 61% came directly from households, 26% from food services, and 13% from retail. 

There have been a lot of food wastage awareness initiatives taken by various reputed organizations like ‘Sab ka chawal’ food wastage campaign by Manipal University, ‘Anadhanam’ initiative by Valliappa Foundation, ‘I am feeding India’ campaign by Zomato, ‘Indian Food Sharing Alliance’ by FSSAI, etc. Despite the success of these initiatives and other steps being taken by multiple organizations, we are severely lacking in improving the situation of food wastage in India. The main sources of food wastage are households, weddings, banquets, and food services. The objective of this blog is to understand the main reasons for food wastage. Also, how to efficiently raise awareness amongst us to reduce wastage. 

How to manage food to avoid wastage:

Food Storage

There are various techniques to store the different types of foods to make them last longer. Keeping dry foods like rice and pasta in air-tight containers, ginger in the freezer, cleaning out the fridge regularly, wrapping cheese in a porous paper, storing lettuce in a paper towel, wrapping refrigerated vegetables in a foil, and storing apples with potatoes can help you save food for a longer duration.

Understanding Food Labels

Before buying any food, you must ensure to check the expiry date of the food. Buying food with a shorter expiry date is a better option if you are sure of completing it before the expiry date. While if you are unsure about the time period of food consumption, it is better to have the food with a longer expiry date. 

Donate Food – The Easy Way

Donate food just by giving a call. How? There are various organizations where you can call them and they will take the food from your home. In India, there are people who are suffering from food scarcity, and one of its main reason is food wastage.

To help you donate the food, we have also made a list:

• Feeding India – Working in 15+ cities of India. You can contact them at +91 9871178810.

• Robin Hood Army – Operating in 15+ countries and 8+ cities of India. You can contact them at https://robinhoodarmy.com/

• Roti-Bank by Dabbawalas – It is an initiative of the world-renowned Dabbawalas of Mumbai. They also collect food in small quantities. You can contact them at +91 9867221310 or +91 8652760542.

• Annakshetra – The Jaipur-based organization collects food through a van pick-up service. Only the food declared fit for consumption by medical experts is given for distribution. You can contact them at +91 9001295293.

Peeling all fruits and vegetables? A big No!

We do agree that it is difficult to have fruits and vegetables without peeling them, especially for the ones who are used to consuming only peeled fruits and vegetables. Moreover, a lot of people say that you may be missing out on various antioxidants and nutrients by peeling the fruits and vegetables but this is a myth. For instance, avoid peeling pears, peaches, plums, apples, apricots, kiwis, potatoes, and cucumber. While you must always consume peeled papaya, lemons, avocados, garlic, and onions. 

Try new recipes

Wondering how it helps in reducing food wastage? During the Coronavirus pandemic, we all were relying on food recipes to fulfill our food cravings. There are numerous food recipes on the internet which you can use to make delicious food from a variety of fruits, veggies, milk, and chocolates. You can try different smoothies, chocolate snacks, and many more to include the food which may waste otherwise.

In the view of prevailing food scarcity faced by countries across the globe, it’s high time that we implement proper food management to avoid food wastage. To conclude, we need to admit that food scarcity will be an enormous problem for all in the future. Addressing food scarcity is the need of the hour. Bringing sustainable practices that help counter this issue should be our goal!

To know more about the ways to cut food waste in your restaurant, Visit – https://blog.yumzyx.com/ways-to-cut-food-waste-in-your-restaurant/