World Food Day 16 October 2020

Currently, there are 870 million people worldwide. facing hunger While each year there is still a huge amount of food wasted. In particular, supermarkets in the United States waste more than 43 billion pounds of food per year. and in Thailand itself According to statistics from the Pollution Control Department in 2017, the amount of food waste accounted for 64% of the total amount of solid waste, or 254 kilograms per person per year. This information is only the amount of solid waste collected by the municipality. This does not include food waste from businesses that hire private companies to operate. ​

Those food wastes are caused by 4 main reasons: ​

1. Food scraps spoil due to expiration date. from storage Or bought too much.
2. Food scraps that are discarded from preparing food, slicing, plucking, and cutting vegetables and fruits.
3. Food scraps left from customers' plates. Because I couldn't finish it.
4. Food scraps left over from the buffet. Due to overcooking ​

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6 easy ways to help reduce food waste

1. Plan before buying food ​

Most people tend to buy more food than they actually need. You can use the method of writing down a list of food you want and sticking to that list or taking a “Shelfie” picture of the food shelf. to see pictures of the contents of the refrigerator This will help remind you if there is still any food left.

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2. Eat in moderation ​

Know the amount of food you eat. Choose to buy or cook as much food as you eat. Because this method not only reduces food waste But it also helps your body weight not increase.

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3. Store food properly ​

Learn how to properly store food. Prevent premature spoilage Because sometimes your refrigerator can be so overcrowded that you forget what's in it. You should follow the principle of "FIFO" or "First in, First out", which is to choose to bring the food you bought first to eat first.

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4. Study about expiration dates.

Pick up food that you can eat in time. If the product specifies “Used by date” it means the last day the product should be eaten. The term “Best before” means the product will be fresh and of good quality before the specified date. But if the day has passed, it can still be consumed.

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5. Food scraps from cutting ​

Learn how to cut food to leave as little food waste as possible.

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6. choose to share ​

Sharing food so that people who still lack food can fill their stomachs. It is one way to help drain stored food so that it doesn't get wasted as well.

Source

1. FAO: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations [Internet] [cited 2020 Sep 28]. Available from: https://www.un.org/…/fao-food-and-agriculture-organizatio…/​
2. Pennapa Thongsai. FOOD WASTE MANAGEMENT A story that is possible or still far from reality BECOME A ZERO FOOD WASTE HERO [Internet]. 4 February 2020 [Accessed 28 Sept. 2020]. Accessible from: https://www.th.thairt.org/blog/become-a-zero-food-waste-hero