Sir: There are one billion malnourished people in the world but approximately 40 million tonnes of food are wasted by households, retailers and food services in the US each year. The World Food and Agriculture Organisation reports that wasted food, which costs $ 750 billion, can easily fulfil the needs of more than two billion hungry people around the world. Some 2.3 million tonnes of fish are discarded in the North Atlantic each year and 10 percent of the rich countries’ greenhouse gas emissions are a result of growing food that is never consumed. Multinational food companies waste millions of tonnes of food in order to control the prices of their products.
We need to focus on the preservation of food and introduce new ways of food preservation. We must develop and donate non-perishable food items to world food banks and shelters. Typical food bank donors include large factories, super market chains, wholesellers, farmers, food brokers and organised community food drivers. Prepared food items are collected from restaurants, corporate dining rooms, other food establishments and hotels. There is a lot we can do on an individual basis if we only start to realise that what we waste can save a life. It is our responsibility now to make the right choice.
ASSAD LAKHAIR
Dadu