Let’s help others by reducing waste!

By Mark Pavilions King Weekly Sentinel October 17 2012

There’s a Chinese saying that notes every grain of rice was the result of the hard work of farmers, so they shouldn’t be wasted.

The “waste-not, want-not” theme has been with us for centuries.

In this country, we’ve never seen, first-hand, the ravages of war, natural disasters or starvation of any kind. We’re comfortably well fed.

And we’re among the most wasteful, too.

A recent study pointed out Canucks are tossing out billions of dollars worth of edible food each year, mostly from our own refrigerators.

I find this fact troublesome and sad.

A draft report from the Ontario-based Value Chain Management Centre (VCMC), estimates we waste $27 billion of food annually. More than half – 51 per cent – is in the form of unwanted leftovers tossed into trash cans or organic recycling containers.

Our eyes are bigger than our bellies, tossing out stuff according to “best before” labels and buying more than we need are all contributing factors, the study reports.

It further states the cause has to do with our attitudes toward food, the abundance of food and affluence.

The wasted food, according to them, is perfectly fit to eat, yet disposed of.

It seems we are reading labels, but perhaps we’re taking the “best before” guidelines too seriously. I remember when canned goods and soup never, ever expired.

Of course, it’s not just human nature that’s to blame.

Food is “wasted” at almost every stage of production, from the farm through packaging and processing to transportation and at the retail store level.

South of border they have a similar disregard for perfectly good food, although their waste percentage hovers around 41%.

The United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that nearly one-third of all food – or 1.3 billion tonnes – of food is lost or wasted per year.

And, the number of sick, starving and dying continues to rise. It’s also estimated that 860 million people around the globe are malnourished.

I detest such waste and I do everything I can to discourage it in our household. Every time I scrape a dinner plate with more than trashworthy leftovers, I cringe.

A lot of this, I believe, comes from the fact my parents lived through postwar Europe before coming to Canada. A few of their stories have stuck in my head.

My mom tells many stories of scrounging for food, under horrible conditions in Soviet-occupied Europe. My late uncle raided troop supply trains, tossing out bags of potatoes to my mom, dodging bullets from soldiers. This teenage duo also “fished” for chickens, sneaking up on Russian camps and literally hooking chickens with homemade fishing lines.

These are things that no teenager should ever have to go through. And yet they did, in order to survive.

Can you imagine the looks on our youngsters’ faces today if we relayed such tales?

There are likely many similar stories told by immigrants to Canada over the past few decades. Other newcomers today flee harsh conditions and persecution in their homelands, finding solace here.

And yet, waste continues in our households from coast to coast on a daily basis.

I was under the impression that restaurants donated some of their leftovers, and bakeries were apt to give away their dayolds to the homeless or various soup kitchens in the Big Smoke. While this happens to some extent, it’s not across the board.

Instead of debating Rob Ford’s waistline, why not pass a city bylaw making it mandatory for all food outlets in the city to donate their leftovers to the needy?

I know gluttony is a sin, but it’s too bad we can’t make it a crime as well.

To think that we’ve become so bloated by affluence and so indifferent, that we’re trashing such copious amounts of food is in fact, criminal.

Right here in affluent King we have a busy and active Food Bank, which dishes out roughly $70,000 a year in assistance.

I agree that we’re way too spoiled and our kids are picking up bad habits associated with affluence.

I don’t know about you, but when I look at some of the food prices these days, I’m shocked. My parents would literally be rolling over in their graves at $7 for milk or $4 for a carton of eggs.

By comparison, a pound of ground beef was only 89 cents in 1990 and a loaf of bread hit 70 cents. In 1980 the average cost of new car was $7,210.00 and by 1989 was $15,400.00 By the late 90s, tuna was 50 cents a can, sirloin was $2.99 a pound, and you could get four grapefruit for a buck.

Today, we’re making more, spending more and wasting more.

How does this scenario end?

There are some tips to reduce in-home waste. We could take a lesson from the “good, old days” when our parents shopped more often, like two or three times a week, but bought less. They bought only what they intended to eat.

We all know what our families will and won’t eat, so do we plan accordingly?

In our fast- paced lives, how often do whip something together from scratch or have everyone sit down to a home-cooked meal?

Most households today have freezers, so why not use them?

Food can last indefinitely but it’s a good idea to at least have an idea when the item was plopped in there.

To help businesses manage these issues and increase their profitability, the Value Chain Management Centre is hosting a forum on reducing food waste. “Cut Waste, Grow Profit: How to reduce food waste, leading to increased profitability and environmental sustainability” will be held November 19, at Maple Leaf Foods’ Think- FOOD! Centre, in Mississauga.

I don’t have all the answers to society’s ills. But I think curbing waste is a start.