Modul : Food

by Mara Kaminski and Viktoria Müller

Content Virtual Water Waste of food Causes of food waste Pollution of the environment Fair trade products Sources

Virtual water connection between the produce we

consume and another country’s water resources

virtual water is defined as the water used for

the production of goods

was coined by John Allan in 1995

Waste of food

over 100 million tonnes of food is wasted annually in Europe - agricultural food waste and fish discards not included

about a third of the food for human consumption is wasted globally - around 1.3 billion tons per year

food waste in industrialised countries is as high as in developing countries

in developing countries, over 40% of food losses happen after harvest and during processing

in industrialised countries, over 40% occurs at retail

and consumer level

Food is wasted throughout the whole food chain – from farmers to consumers –

and for various reasons.

Causes of food waste Food is wasted throughout the entire food chain:

by farmers, by the food industry, by retailers, by caterers and by consumers. The reasons are

diverse and sector specific. main causes:

- Lack of awareness

- lack of shopping planning

- confusion about "best before" and" use by" date labels

- lack of knowledge on how to cook with leftovers (households)

Standard portion sizes, difficulty to anticipate the number of clients (catering)

Stock management inefficiencies, marketing strategies (2 for 1, buy 1 get 1 free), aesthetic issues

(retail) Overproduction, product & packaging damage

(farmers and food manufacturing) Inadequate storage (whole food chain)

Inadequate packaging.

Pollution of the environment

pollutes our groundwater and waterways because of too many nutrients

breaks down in landfill → main contributer of methane pollution

expensive wasting of ressources

Fair trade products

buying Fairtrade products : you can feel good because producers in developing countries like

Kenya or Columbia get a fair price

they also receive an extra Fairtrade premium so they can invest in things for their communities -

like schools, hospitals and wells.

Sources

http://www.lovefoodhatewaste.nsw.gov.au/ ec.europa.eu/food/food/sustainability http://www.sainsburys-live-well-for-

less.co.uk/products-values/responsible-sourcing/fairtrade/

https://www.zugutfuerdietonne.de/warum-werfen-wir-lebensmittel-weg/welche-folgen-hat-das/