Every person throws away 82 kg of food per year. That does not only include food which has gone bad or is past its best before date. Also food that is still eatable is often dumped into the garbage. "It's too little to reheat it." "These two little potatoes won't make a full meal anymore." And off the food goes into the garbage can. It drives me mad when people say that we have enough food in Germany and; therefore, don't need to keep the leftovers. Yes, it's right that we DO have enough food in Germany but there's no need to waste it. Otherwise more and more food is produced, which, in the end, is thrown away again. Instead, people should pay much more attention to the amount they buy and avoid wasting ever more food. Leftovers can very well be turned into a delicious meal. The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture operates a web page which offers help if you're unsure about what to do with your leftovers.
Not only do private households waste food, the food industry plays a major role when it comes to throwing away food. With a worldwide waste of 2 million tons of still good food, the food industry could win the gold medal in the food-waste-race. Bananas which are too big for the standardized norm or curved cucumbers are not even sold on markets. They are solely produced for one reason: to be thrown away. If you've ever had the chance to taste a curved cucumber, then you must have noticed something. It does not taste any different than a straight cucumber. So why throw them away. Norms can sometimes have quite silly outcomes. Despite the fact that the EU Commission Regulation (EC) No 2257/94 which regulates curvy bananas and cucumbers has been repealed in 2009, you will still not be able to find them in food stores.
In two weeks: Did you know...? Wasting food pt. II (what we can do to avoid wasting food)
Not only do private households waste food, the food industry plays a major role when it comes to throwing away food. With a worldwide waste of 2 million tons of still good food, the food industry could win the gold medal in the food-waste-race. Bananas which are too big for the standardized norm or curved cucumbers are not even sold on markets. They are solely produced for one reason: to be thrown away. If you've ever had the chance to taste a curved cucumber, then you must have noticed something. It does not taste any different than a straight cucumber. So why throw them away. Norms can sometimes have quite silly outcomes. Despite the fact that the EU Commission Regulation (EC) No 2257/94 which regulates curvy bananas and cucumbers has been repealed in 2009, you will still not be able to find them in food stores.
In two weeks: Did you know...? Wasting food pt. II (what we can do to avoid wasting food)