The control of food prices/spokesperson of the State Comptroller
None of us would consciously throw money in the trash, but in fact we all do it and most of us are not aware of it.
Food loss refers to food that was intended for human consumption and for various reasons was not eaten by humans.
It is customary to differentiate between food loss, which refers to food losses during the production, processing and marketing stages, and food waste, which refers to the discarding of food by consumers.
It is estimated that over 30% of all food produced in the world is lost and wasted and that 50% of it is salvageable food.
Food loss and waste has an impact in 3 main aspects: economic, social and environmental.
On the economic side, you prepared food and there were leftovers that no one would eat anymore and you threw them in the trash - you threw away money.
You planned to make a pie, you specially bought raw material that is in the recipe, but is not in your usual shopping basket and in the end you didn't make it, the raw material went bad and you threw it in the trash - you threw away money.
You saw a 1+1 sale while shopping and took 2 packages.
In practice, this is a product that you consume once a... It's not bad to have it in stock in the pantry, right?
In practice, time passed and you didn't even finish the first package and here is another food that finds itself thrown in the trash - you threw away money.
According to the Food Loss and Food Salvage report by Leket Israel, food waste for home consumption is estimated at NIS 4,000 per year per household.
But food waste is not just money thrown away, we pay more for it due to the impact on food security, taxation on waste disposal and the rising cost of raw materials.
All of these are estimated at NIS 5,550 per household, so the total effect on the cost of living is an increase of approximately NIS 9,550 per household per year.
It is important to note that nutritional insecurity is a risk factor for chronic illness for the Israeli economy NIS 5.2 billion per year.
Garbage Truck.
30% of the world's food is thrown away/ShutterStock
On the social side, according to the alternative poverty report of the Letat organization, in Israel over 700 thousand families (22%) live in food insecurity and over a million children (36.1%) are in food insecurity.
We have a moral obligation to be awake and aware of this and not to close our eyes to these data.
A paradox is created in which we need 5.2 billion shekels to solve the problem of food insecurity and the value of salvageable food in Israel is 8.1 billion shekels.
That is, saving 20% of the lost food will allow closing the food insecurity gap in Israel.
On the environmental side, food waste of course also has an environmental impact estimated in Israel at NIS 3.9 billion per year.
In Israel, 6% of greenhouse gas emissions in Israel are the result of food loss and waste.
Environmental impact is also manifested in the erosion of natural resources such as land and water, in the waste of energy (in the processes of production, processing, marketing, consumption and disposal), time and of course greatly increases the costs of waste treatment.
Even at the global level, it is customary to say that if food waste were a country, it would rank third in greenhouse gas emissions.
When you know and understand that food waste is really a significant problem, on a national global level as well as on a personal level, it is clear that we have a responsibility to address the issue and work to reduce food loss and waste.
In light of this, worldwide, every year on 29.9 a day is celebrated to raise awareness of food loss and waste under the auspices of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 6 years ago the TNS (The Natural Step) organization initiated the Tsambaz (reduction in food waste) day, which in recent years has become a week CMBAZ in Israel and is taking place this week, with the aim of raising public awareness of the problem.
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Ayelet Martin, nutritionist and head of corporate responsibility, Sodexo Israel/PR
About 20% of food consumption in Israel is done in institutional catering (events, security forces, workplaces, hotels, hospitals, restaurants and educational institutions).
Food waste in these kitchens is an inevitable part of the economic activity of feeding a large amount of diners and is estimated at 226 thousand tons per year.
Out of 226 thousand tons, it is estimated that there is food waste in workplaces that amounts to 45 thousand tons, which is about 29%.
It is estimated that 17 thousand tons is salvageable food.
In the last year, at Sodexo Israel, the largest company in the field of catering services in Israel, we launched waste-watch - a technology that enables reporting and monitoring of food waste before it is thrown into the trash, with the view that we manage what we measure.
Since the beginning of the project in Israel, we have avoided food waste of over 2400 kg, which is a reduction of about 34% in the amount of food waste that was thrown into the trash. With this step, we reduced the emission of 17 tons of carbon dioxide. This amount is equivalent to saving about 4,500 meals.
And what can everyone do to improve the situation? Reduce household food waste in four simple steps: plan the family menu, go grocery shopping and buy according to a list, giving preference to local produce; store properly, according to the recommendations listed on the product to extend shelf life; Cook it in as precise an amount as possible, while utilizing the maximum of the raw material; are there any leftovers? You can offer it to neighbors, friends or put it in a social refrigerator in your area of residence.
The writer is a nutritionist and head of corporate responsibility, Sodexo Israel.
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