Healthy Options is out to raise awareness with their newest advocacy campaign: LOVE FOOD, DON’T WASTE.
Globally and locally, food waste is becoming an escalating problem, but very few people are aware of this fact! Worldwide, roughly 1/3 of the food produced for human consumption is squandered, leading to wastage amounting to 1.3 billion tons. Locally, Metro Manila households waste over 2,000 tons of food every single day. Food waste leads to major squandering of previous resources such as water, land, energy, labor, and capital. In a world where the entire population puts so much pressure on the environment and our natural resources are no longer as abundant as they used to be, it is a sad fact that people waste so much food every day, every week, at every point of the food chain… from Farm to Plate. (Press release)
The sad truth is, this is something we see everyday–perfectly good food being thrown out from our homes, and from the restaurants and food establishments we frequent. We barely think about it anymore, as we’ve already become desensitized and think, its normal–everyone does it. I certainly never thought of it before when I was still living with my parents. I never saw how food was disposed. But now that I manage my own household, I see where everything goes. Whenever I overstock the pantry, food (especially perishable items like fruits and veggies) go to waste. Or when my husband and I forget to consume our leftovers, I’ll have to throw it out. Proper storage of food makes a huge difference too, as it affects how long our food will last.
As always, the little things count. Preparing just enough food, finishing what’s on our plates and learning the proper way of storing our food means something. Not only will we be saving money and reducing our food bills, but by doing this we are being mindful about the starving millions around the world. Most importantly, we’ll be doing our part to promote sustainability, saving Mother Earth and making the world a better place for our children. Below are some easy, doable tips on how to LOVE FOOD:
