Previously, we have looked at how food waste was generated in the retailing phase of the food cycle. Unfortunately, the problem does not just stop there! Consumers like us also contribute to this issue of food waste, which both wastes the resources and energy used to produce that food, some of which themselves are pollutive, as well as contribute to environmental pollution directly through incineration of these waste and emission of greenhouse gases. How do we do so, you might ask? Here’s a short video to explain about consumer-driven food waste (CleanGreenSingapore, 2019a)!
In Singapore alone, about 763,000 tonnes of food waste were generated in 2018 (National Environmental Agency, 2019). Out of this, about 26,000 tonnes were unconsumed food that was disposed of by Singaporean households due to various reasons such as improper storage, over-purchasing and food handling habits (Singapore Environment Council, 2018). This would amount to roughly $6.57 million worth of food wasted per week or about $258 per household in one year!
In fact, this number could be more for some households as the survey conducted by Singapore Environment Council (SEC) (2018) found that over 1 in 3 respondents threw away more than 10% of the food that they had purchased weekly. One reason that the respondents highlighted as an indicator to throw their food was the label dates on the food products. We had covered this issue in our blog previously and here we see its repercussions. Over 80% of respondents did not fully understand the difference between the three main labels (“use by”, “best before” and “date of expiry”) used on food products. Instead, many consider all of them to be indicative of food safety. Hence, they resort to taking the ‘safer’ route by disposing of food that has passed any of the dates printed on the packaging, which forms a significant level of food waste that can be avoided. Well, why not learn more about those dates in this video below (BuzzFeedVideo, 2020).
Another reason for avoidable food waste generated by households is impulse and bulk purchases. We often see “Buy 1 Get 1 Free” or “Buy 3 at $10, U.P [Usual Price] $15” as part of the marketing strategies employed by retailers. While they may present ‘immediate’ cost savings to consumers, such behaviour to not miss out on such good deals also contributes to food waste, therefore environmental pollution. This is because consumers end up either over-buying or buying products that they did not intend to previously, which often results in them not being utilised and being discarded. This is highlighted by over a quarter of respondents saying they often buy more than what they need while doing their grocery shopping (SEC, 2018). This is why it is recommended to make a grocery list before your shopping journey to ensure you do not over-buy or buy items you already possess like as shown in the video below (CleanGreenSingapore, 2019b)!
So time to consider how you can try changing your own behaviours and influence others to do so to generate less food waste in our households! Just simple steps like making a grocery list and not throwing out ‘expired’ food without consideration can be a good start! Well, households spaces are not the only way we, consumers, generate food waste. Check out our next post about how we do so whenever we eat out too!
Trailing off,
Jade and Ridzuan
References
Bajželj, B., Richards, K.S., Allwood, J.M., Smith, P., Dennis, J.S., Curmi, E. and Gilligan, C.A. (2014). Importance of food-demand management for climate mitigation. Nature Climate Change, [online] 4(10), pp.924–929. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/nclimate2353 [Accessed 22 Oct. 2020].
BuzzFeedVideo (2020). I Ate Expired Food For 72 Hours. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo3u_dvxWfk [Accessed 25 Oct. 2020].
CleanGreenSingapore (2019a). Waste Less, Save More. (60s, 2018). YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wjhvk0mj5Qs&ab_channel=CleanGreenSingapore [Accessed 22 Oct. 2020].
CleanGreenSingapore (2019b). Zero Waste Food Challenge: Ep 1 – Grocery Run. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF3o1MPNRK4&ab_channel=CleanGreenSingapore [Accessed 22 Oct. 2020].
National Environmental Agency (2019). More Consumers Taking Action To Reduce Food Waste; Public Urged To Say ‘No’ To Food Waste This Festive Season. [online] Available at: https://www.nea.gov.sg/media/news/news/index/more-consumers-taking-action-to-reduce-food-waste-public-urged-to-say-no-to-food-waste-this-festive-season [Accessed 22 Oct. 2020].
Singapore Environment Council (2019). Advancing a Circular Economy for Food: Key Drivers and Recommendations to Reduce Food Loss and Waste in Singapore Study by Singapore Environment Council (SEC). [online] Available at: https://sec.org.sg/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/SEC_Food-Loss-Study.pdf [Accessed 22 Oct. 2020].
