It may come as a surprise to many that most food waste comes from homes. Up to a third of all national food waste is generated in households. According to the latest statistics from the Natural Resources Institute of Finland (Luke), an average of 20–25 kilograms of food is thrown away per person per year. In total, Finnish households throw away around EUR 500 million worth of food every year.

This means a loss of over EUR 100 for every Finn, which means the economic savings of reducing food waste could be very significant. The largest amount of waste is generated by families with children. If food waste is minimised, a family with two children, could save EUR 400–500 every year.

You can do a lot by changing your food buying and cooking habits. The main cause of waste is that too much food is bought and prepared in relation to consumption. Food spoils or expires, people put too much food on their plate or make too much, and people do not want to eat the same food too many days in a row.

What if you turned your leftovers into something new? For example, you can transform cooked rice into delicious fried rice. 

Food production has a significant impact on the environment and natural resources. Overproduction of food contributes to global warming and loss of biodiversity. If food ends up as waste, the resources used in its entire production chain and the resulting emissions will have been generated for nothing.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), around one third of food produced worldwide is thrown away. Up to 88 billion tonnes of food is lost every year in Europe.

You can reduce the environmental burden and reduce your carbon footprint by switching to a primarily vegan diet and by not throwing away food with a high environmental impact. Such foods include dairy and meat products.

You could even put together a sustainable shopping basket! 

There is a global food shortage, and global political challenges are adding to the problem. Nevertheless, 1.4 billion tonnes of food is thrown away every year. That amount could feed approximately 2 billion people.

In Finland, we live in relative abundance compared to most other countries in the world. We can do our part by taking social responsibility for the well-being of others in the world. It is an ethical choice to do your best to make sure that there is enough food for everyone. You wouldn’t throw away perfectly edible food, would you? 

A busy life and a lack of willingness are the main obstacles to changing the way we eat and cook. The best way to start reducing waste is to face things head-on and change your behaviour with better planning, for example.

It is now easier than ever. Even if your skills are not found in the kitchen, many technological innovations can help you reduce waste, save money and make things easier. Have you tried online food rescue shops like Fiksuruoka and Matsmart or grabbed your lunch and dinner from the ResQ app for restaurants?

Source: Hävikkiviikko.fi. lessfoodwaste.fi

Get more tips for everyday life here:

Reduce food waste – five tips | Lumo – The best home, easily