We Can't Live Without It

"The amount of food wasted and lost around the world is staggering. This is food that could be used to feed the world's growing population -- as well as those in hunger today."
Dr. Tim Fox, head, Institution of Mechanical engineers, U.K.

"Incongruously, it is in the most 'advanced' and affluent societies where the largest quantities of food are wasted at the consumer end of the chain. Major supermarkets, in meeting consumer expectations, will often reject entire crops of perfectly edible fruits and vegetables at the farm because they do not meet exacting marketing standards."
"Of the quantity that does reach the supermarket shelves, 30% to 50% is thrown away by the final purchaser in the home, often at the direction of conservative 'use by' labelling. Labelling of many foods can actually encourage waste. Many consumers have a poor understanding of 'best before and 'use by' dates, and these dates are generally quite conservative, as they are driven by the retailer's desire to avoid legal action."
"Promotional offers and high-pressure advertising campaigns, including bulk discounts and 'buy one get one free offers encourage shoppers to buy large quantities in excess of their actual needs, which leads to substantial food wastage in the home."
Global Food -- Waste Not Want Not

Consumers like uniform looking fruits and vegetables, with good colour, neither unripe nor too ripe. In the best of all possible worlds nature would heed these instructions and produce all manner of edible jewels grown from rich market soil in a presentation of perfection without a hint of blemish.

Consumers have grown so accustomed in developed economies to picking their way through the offerings, rejecting any that appear substandard in their opinion, that the rejects instruct supermarkets to themselves acquire only the most appealing to take space on their shelves.

The European Union, a huge economic-political market of combined countries, makes an effort to ensure that consumable goods of like quality are available to all its member-countries' consumers. It has enacted legislation with direct reference to the size, shape, weight and appearance of an entire cornucopia of edible goods.

EU Legislation: Quality Standards and Labelling of Fruits and Vegetables:Regulation (EC) 2200/96

Regulations are fully harmonized in the EU. When EU standards do not exist, UN

Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) or Codex Standards are applicable as

product standards.It has laid down the quality classification and information labeling. Fruits subjected to this regulation are: almonds, apples, apricots, avocadoes, cherries,

citrus fruits, grapes,hazelnuts, kiwis, melons, oranges, papayas, peaches & nectarines, pears, plums,strawberries, walnuts, and watermelons. But bananas, pineapples, mangoes, and lychees not covered by this regulation. Among the vegetables artichokes, asparagus, aubergines, beans, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, courgettes, cucumbers, garlic, lettuce, curly and escarole, chicory, leeks, mushrooms, onions, peach spinach, sweet peppers, tomatoes, witlo of chicory are subjected to the regulation. Specific standards apply to different fruits and vegetables. Refer Fresh Quality Guide.

2 Commercial Classification “Extra Class”(Applicable to grapes, garlic, tomatoes and some others)* Produce of superior quality (quality characteristics of the variety or commercial type)

* Free of any defects with the exception of slight superficial defects provided do not

affect the general appearance and its quality.

* Maximum 5% by numbers of weight of total produce does not satisfy the

requirements of the class, but meets those of Class I or exceptionally is within the

tolerances of that class.

Class I

* Good quality (well-shaped and coloured, free of marks

* Slight defects may be allowed

* Maximum 10% by numbers of weight of total produce does not satisfy the requirements of the class, but meets those of Class II or exceptionally is within the

tolerances of that class.

Class II

* Sound marketable quality produce (satisfies minimum requirements)

* May presents defects (healed cracks)

* Maximum 10% by number of weight of the total produce does not satisfy the

requirements of the class, nor the minimum requirements with the exception of the product affected by rotting or other deterioration rendering them unfit

for consumption.

Well, that pretty much covers all the picky little details of preferences and allowability, doesn't it? Little wonder that many fruits and vegetables are rejected by wholesalers at the farm gate, that they're left to rot as unfit for human consumption; at least the consumption of members of the European Union. And that fairly well sets the stage for waste. It's a stage that, even without the intervention of mass marketing that the EU indulges in, becomes commonplace enough elsewhere.

There may be no difference in nutritional quality in food that doesn't look as appealing as a well-formed and coloured product may but if our eyes are not satisfied then we take it that our palate will not be, either. And this, needless to say, leads to waste. Researchers claim that almost 30% of vegetable crops are left to rot in the fields, not harvested because they haven't met the physical standards mandated by exporters and grocery stores.

An estimated two billion tonnes of food is wasted annually, as a result of inadequate harvesting practices, poor food storage facilities and transportation, according to the report issued by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. In developing countries that waste also results at the farm end because of inefficient harvesting techniques and poor transportation, while poor storage results in food being spoiled or infected by rodents. In other instances food simply spills as waste from poorly maintained vehicles.

"The root cause for food waste", according to Martin Gooch, director of the Canadian agri-food think tank Value Chain Management Centre, "is primarily a lack of co-ordination along the food supply chain. There is a lack of co-ordination between producers and processors and between producers and retailers. I think some of the numbers are exaggerated. I certainly accept the figure of 30%, but I would not accept that 50% of food is thrown away", he stated.

He much prefers the figures released by the United Nations in 2011 through a research project of their own, reporting food waste figures of about 1.2 billion tonnes, or 33%. A staggering amount of food left to waste. So cavilling about the difference between 33% or 50% is understandable, but what shouldn't be overlooked in arguing about details is the massive amount of food that 33% represents, and its potential to feed the hungry of the world.