From Plate to Bin: How Food Waste Impacts Food Safety and What You Can Do

Food is a basic requirement for our survival and should fundamentally be available to everyone. Nevertheless, we grapple with challenges of food security, hunger and malnutrition. There are myriad factors that need to be considered to establish well-functioning, equitable and inclusive food supply chains and food safety is one of the most important considerations to facilitate such food chains.   

Though there are many facets to food safety, this blog delves into the impact of food safety on controlling food waste. Typically, food waste is measured at retail points, hospitality segments such as hotels, restaurants/ cafes, catering and events, and at individual household levels. There are many reasons that lead to food waste. Spoilage, over production, over purchase, low familiarity with food labels etc. being some key reasons. Amongst these, food safety is an important consideration too. We are more likely to dump food that we suspect has gone bad even if we have no means to scientifically ascertain it!

Food Waste is a massive challenge. Estimates peg that globally a third of the food grown is either lost or wasted. This roughly translates to a trillion US dollars. Closer home, our food loss is estimated to be nearly 74 million tonnes and food waste is valued at INR 92000 crores annually! Households account for nearly 70% of the food waste at an average of 55 kg per person per year.

So, what is it that we can do? As consumers we have an important role to play in driving sustainable consumption. We should understand the food we buy and how much we need to buy. It is important to educate ourselves on food usage and expiry labels, training family members and household help for proper handling and storage of food, exploring recipes for better longevity (e.g. jams, squashes, pureed forms may stay longer than fresh fruits/vegetables) and gauging when food has really gone bad. Organisations like the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) provide information and guidance on proper handling of food at homes. Perhaps such information should be widely disseminated through various communication channels and in several languages to maximise outreach. It is important to minimise food spoilage. After all, unsafe food is most likely wasted food!  

Food Waste and Food Safety is also intricately linked when it concerns food donations especially from the hospitality and retail segments. It is not uncommon to see large amounts of cooked food leftover from events, catering, banquets or buffets. It seems logical to ensure that this food is diverted towards the needy and there are indeed a number of NGOs that strive to divert and distribute the excess food. In such scenarios, it is absolutely pertinent to ensure that the food is safe for further distribution. This means that we need to invest in affordable/low-cost food testing techniques, equipping NGOs with the right skills and infrastructure and having very clear norms for food donations. Other factors that can enable quicker decision making on food donations would be limited liability protection, mandatory requirements for large event organisers to tie up with certified or suitable NGOs well in advance.

In fact, the Centre for Responsible Business is undertaking a landscaping study on Food Waste in the HoReCa and retail segments in the cities of Mumbai and Pune. The study has been commissioned by the Netherlands Embassy in India and it is being conducted under guidance and support of the partners – FSSAI West Region, ITCFSAN and WRI India. The study has been instrumental in corroborating some of the challenges outlined above and identifying potential solutions for the way forward. More importantly, the study is a positive step ahead in rallying key stakeholders and raising the visibility of this issue. Many respondents appreciated the focus on this topic and expressed interest in taking further action on the issue.

It is heartening to see the emphasis being placed on sustainable food systems. Food safety, nutrition security, reducing food loss and waste are all critical elements of the food systems. However, it is important for every stakeholder to recognise their responsibility and role in supporting sustainable systems. It is only when we act with urgency, responsibility and ownership that we can control the catastrophic effects of unsustainable practices and consumption.