While millions of people around the world struggle with hunger every day, a significant portion of the food produced is wasted without being consumed. According to the United Nations Food Waste Index 2024, households in Turkey throw away 102 kg of food per person per year, totaling 8.7 million tons. Food waste is not only an economic loss, but also brings with it many problems such as environmental damage, economic losses, and social inequality. Drawing attention to the extent of food waste in homes, Ebru Akdağ, Chair of the Board of Directors of BİTKİDEN, said, “Most waste worldwide occurs in homes. At least one billion meals are thrown away every day. On average, each person wastes 79 kg of food per year.”
According to the UN Food Waste Index 2024 Report, 1.05 billion tons of food were wasted worldwide in 2022. Unfortunately, 631 million tons of the total food wasted in 2022 came from households, accounting for 60% of the total, while 290 million tons came from the food service sector (28%) and 131 million tons (12%) came from the retail sector. While the previous report stated that households in Turkey wasted 93 kg of food per person per year, the latest report shows that they wasted 102 kg of food, increasing waste. The increase in food waste also increases economic, social, and environmental problems.
Emphasizing that taking responsibility and raising awareness about preventing food waste is crucial for building a sustainable future, Ebru Akdağ, Chair of the Board of Directors at BİTKİDEN, stated that food loss and waste account for 8-10% of total global greenhouse gas emissions and offered recommendations for reducing food waste.
“The goal should be to reduce food waste and loss”
Stating that food waste is very important for a sustainable future, Ebru Akdağ, Chair of the Board of Directors of BİTKİDEN, said, “It is estimated that approximately 2.3 billion people worldwide do not have access to a healthy diet and approximately 733 million people go hungry. All of this means that urgent action is needed to reduce food loss and waste. As the world’s population continues to grow, our struggle should not be about how to grow more food. The goal should be to reduce food waste and loss and to produce sustainable and highly nutritious foods. In our country, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry’s awareness campaigns aimed at reducing increasing food waste should be stepped up, and the Ministry of Trade’s Turkey Waste Report, which has not been published since 2018, should be updated.”
“Both globally and in our country, the most fruit and vegetables end up in the trash.”
Akdağ said that every individual can take their own measures to reduce food waste, adding: “As we face a food crisis, raising awareness about the meaning of today and our existing problems and responsibilities is becoming more important every day. At this point, starting your meal with smaller portions will help you reduce waste. Also, don’t forget about your leftovers; by putting them in the refrigerator within two hours, you can use them in another meal within two days. This way, you will have used your resources efficiently and prevented waste. Being organized while shopping is also an important part of preventing waste. Preparing a list and shopping only according to your needs prevents unnecessary purchases. This habit also prevents products from being left on the shelves to spoil. As is the case worldwide, the most waste in our country is fruit and vegetables. Forty to fifty percent of wasted fruit and vegetables occur during harvest, and 38 to 69 percent occur in households.
Knowing the difference between STT/TETT reduces waste.
Emphasizing that storing food properly at home is also very important, Akdağ said, “Keeping your refrigerator at the ideal temperature and not overfilling it both preserves the freshness of your food and saves energy. Placing new food items behind older ones so that you consume the older ones first prevents waste and ensures that food is used before it spoils. 72% of consumers in Turkey cannot distinguish between the best-before date and the use-by date. Reading the dates on food correctly is also a critical step in preventing waste. While using products past their ‘Best Before Date’ can be risky, products past their ‘Use By Date’ are generally safe to consume. Before consuming food past its UBD, the following should be checked: Have the storage conditions on the label been met? Is the packaging intact? Does it smell, look, and taste normal? If the answer to these questions is ‘yes’, then the food is safe to consume. However, if you still have food that you cannot consume, you can turn it into fertilizer and use it for your plants, thus contributing to nature.”
“We must combat the climate crisis”
Stating that food waste negatively impacts the fight against the climate crisis, Akdağ emphasized that steps taken to combat the climate crisis will enable the entire world to be fed: “Reducing waste is an important method in tackling the global climate crisis. While 733 million people lack access to food, at least 1 billion meals are thrown away every day, making it difficult to create a sustainable world. In addition, reducing animal products in our diet and giving more space to plant-based foods will contribute to reducing our carbon footprint. If we want to make the world green again, we need to start with what’s on our plates.”
