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From the frying pan into the dumpster?

03 Oct 2021

  • Tracing the breadcrumb trail of Sri Lanka’s food wastage problem
By Sumudu Chamara The past few months have been distressing to consumers, and the prevailing shortage of several essential food items and price hikes continue to worsen the situation. However, discussions surrounding this situation mostly focus on hardships faced by consumers due to production and supply-related matters, and very little attention is paid to the manner in which this food is being consumed. Last week, Environment Minister Mahinda Amaraweera made an alarming revelation about Sri Lanka’s management of food – he stated that the country wastes approximately 5,000 metric tonnes (MT) of cooked and uncooked food a day as garbage. Speaking at a programme held at the Environment Ministry to mark the International Awareness Day of Food Waste and Food Pollution Reduction, he added that taking this situation into account, there is a plan to reduce food wastage by 50% by 2030. “According to the World Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), approximately one-third of world’s overall food production is wasted, and it is equal to 1.3 billion MT a year,” he said, adding that when it comes to Sri Lanka, around 40% of the total produce is wasted. Amaraweera noted that this is a huge economic loss. “Worldwide, economic waste caused by food wastage is estimated to be at around $ 939 billion, and there are a number of factors that contribute to food wastage. In our country, food is being destroyed due to improper food processing, damages caused by animals, and improper storage methods. High food consumption in the world and in Sri Lanka is also a cause of food wastage.” During the event, Amaraweera also pointed out the likelihood of food shortages owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, which he said could lead to a number of other food-related issues. Meanwhile, studies that formed the basis for a recently introduced evidence-based strategy aimed to effectively tackle the country’s urban food waste, titled “National Roadmap on Urban Food Waste Prevention and Reduction for Households, Food Services, Retailers, and Wholesalers”, presented slightly different statistics.  The strategy, prepared by the FAO for the Ministry of Environment, is based on new evidence generated through a previous project conducted in partnership with the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and past research, which have revealed that Sri Lanka generates 7,000 MT of solid waste a day, out of which 65-66% (by weight) consists of perishable organic material. The average value of total food waste generated per day in the country is approximately 3,963 MT. The findings have also revealed that the total daily solid waste generated in the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) area is around 706 MT, of which 50% (equivalent to around 353 MT) is food waste. Speaking at the launch of the National Roadmap, Environment Ministry Secretary Dr. Anil Jasinghe said that a number of factors, such as storage and transport capacities, rapid urbanisation, expansion of retail chains, overstocking, and unsustainable consumer behaviour, contribute to food waste. Wastage of cooked food The issue of wasting cooked food is a practice that can be seen in many parts of Sri Lanka, especially urban areas, and both households and commercial establishments, such as restaurants and hotels, contribute to this. While in some cases they dispose of excess food due to the lack of a proper system to distribute the food among those who need it, in some cases, it is due to policies adopted by hotels and restaurants.  However, Sri Lanka has a handful of groups that facilitate the process of obtaining excess food from the above-mentioned establishments and distributing them among those in need. To know more about the management of excess food, The Morning spoke to Robin Hood Army Sri Lanka, a volunteer-based group leading this movement in Sri Lanka. According to Robin Hood Army Sri Lanka Volunteer Management Team Member Mohamed Huzam Hushain, one of the factors causing a huge amount of (cooked) food being wasted is the lack of a proper system for the people and establishments that have excess food to donate the food.  “I do not think that people like to waste; most of the time, the issue is that people do not have an idea as to what to do with the food that is being wasted. As a matter of fact, most restaurants try their best to effectively manage the excess they have, and the people also try to donate the food they have. The attitude towards food wastage in Sri Lanka does not seem to be very serious. However, unless there is a solution to this lack of a system, the situation relating to food wastage will remain.” When asked what type of support this movement requires in order to expand, Hushain noted that support from the Government and organisations can make a huge impact. He added: “It is really important that this movement receives the support of everyone in any manner possible, and if everyone does their part by contributing even a little, it can make a big impact. The Government too can extend its support by creating a partnership between establishments that have excess food and groups that collect that food and distribute among those in need. Also, one of the pressing needs this movement requires is more transport facilities.” Even though collecting excess food and distributing it among those in need is still a rather new and unpopular concept to Sri Lanka, many countries support this practice, with a massive involvement of the private sector. In many cases, this initiative is led by social work groups/non-governmental organisations and restaurants that provide food at a lower price or free of charge. Countries including Australia, France, Norway, Italy, Dubai, and Denmark have set goals and made national-level plans to reduce wastage of food, while also supporting the proper management of excess food and organic waste. Wastage of uncooked food The wastage of uncooked food, especially agricultural produce, has also been a pressing issue for a considerable period of time, and even though some measures, such as making the use of plastic containers mandatory when transporting produce, were taken in the recent past, they have not been successful or properly implemented. According to activists, post-harvest food wastage in Sri Lanka is an issue that affects not only consumers but also the national economy, and it is close to 40%. The reasons causing this massive wastage, according to them, are manageable ones. Speaking to The Morning, All Island Farmers’ Federation (AIFF) National Organiser Namal Karunaratne explained that post-harvest food wastage takes place at several settings, ranging from farms to retail sellers.  One of the main reasons that causes post-harvest food wastage is the lack of facilities and a mechanism to store (under freezer facilitates), package, transport, and process food produce, especially vegetables and fruits, and this issue has existed for a very long time, according to Karunaratne. “We can witness an excess of produce in some seasons of the year, and in some seasons, there is a lack of production and supply. However, that does not mean that Sri Lanka does not produce the food it needs. The country is capable of producing its annual food requirement. The issue is, the production of food produce does not take place equally in all seasons of the year, and to face that, Sri Lanka does not have an effective mechanism to preserve excess production to be used when there is a shortage or a lesser production of certain food items.  “The transport aspect of this issue, however, mainly affects day-to-day supply of produce for immediate consumption. However, this also contributes to a massive food wastage, due to vegetables and fruits being damaged during the process of transporting them from the farm to warehouses and/or economic centres/wholesale trading centres. Even though farmers and those involved in transporting produce take certain measures to reduce damage and wastage, what they can do is limited. The main reasons are poor packaging of vegetables and fruits and the low quality of roads.”  He added that due to certain practical issues, farmers are hesitant to use plastic containers, and use gunny bags instead, and that this is one of the major reasons why a significant amount of fruits and vegetables get damaged during the transportation process. However, Sri Lanka paid attention to using newer methods to package vegetables and fruits a decade ago. In 2011, the then Ministry of Co-operatives and Internal Trade made it mandatory to use plastic crates to transport vegetables and fruits, as it could save the country around Rs. 20 billion a year. However, farmers and others involved in the agricultural industry protested against this move and showed a great reluctance to adopt this method, and continued the use of gunny bags and other packaging methods. They claimed that using plastic crates is costly and practically difficult as it takes a lot of space, and the use of gunny bags remains the main packaging method even today. Karunaratne explained that wastage of produce at trading centres has a direct impact on further wastage at farms as well. This happens mainly due to farmers stopping the harvesting and farming processes owing to not being able to sell their produce or having to dispose of the produce due to damages in the previous farming season. Another reason is the depreciation of prices (when there is an excess of produce with proper no way of preserving it), which discourages farmers from continuing to farm in the long run. When asked whether agriculture authorities have taken any measures to address these issues, he said that the Government’s support is inadequate. He added that even though some facilities such as economic centres have been provided, they are not enough and that they do not have enough facilities. He also said that government intervention is necessary to address challenges pertaining to transportation, farming, and sale of produce.  Although The Morning tried to contact Food Commissioner J. Krishnamoorthy, to find out whether any programmes are being planned or implemented to reduce the wastage of cooked and uncooked food, and also Agriculture Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, to inquire whether any steps are being taken to reduce post-harvest food wastage, they were not reachable.  Food waste and world hunger Wastage of food is a global issue, and it directly contributes to world hunger as well. According to a 2021 study by the World Wide Fund (WWF), around 1.2 billion MT of food is wasted on farms each year. The value of the food wasted on farms is around $ 370 million, and 58% of global harvest stage waste occurs in the high and middle-income countries of Europe, North America, and industrialised Asia. The overall carbon footprint of farm-stage food waste is approximately 2.2 GT of carbon dioxide equivalents. As Karunaratne also pointed out, the report, titled “Drive to Waste: The Global Impact of Food Loss and Waste on Farms”, showed that food waste at the farm level is driven by a multitude of human factors and decisions within the later stages of the supply chain – while waste in the supply chain is often driven by changeable factors at a farm level.  Despite the popular belief that food waste on farms is an issue that affects more less-affluent countries than affluent counties, the report added that per capita farm-stage waste levels are generally higher in more affluent regions, and that despite having higher on-farm mechanisation, the high and middle-income countries of Europe, North America, and Industrialised Asia, with only 37% of the global population, contribute to 58% of global harvest waste (368 million MT). The FAO stated that around 811 million people in the world are affected by hunger, while two billion are affected by micronutrient deficiencies, especially vitamin and mineral deficiencies. In addition, millions of children suffer from stunting and wasting, a deadly form of under-nutrition. According to FAO Deputy Director Nancy Aburto, there is a need for more countries to embrace innovation to reduce wastage, such as new packaging that can prolong the shelf life of many foods, while smartphone apps can bring consumers closer to producers, reducing the time between harvest and plate. The FAO noted that reducing food loss and waste would improve agri-food systems and help towards achieving food security, food safety, and food quality, all while delivering on nutritional outcomes. Moreover, it would also contribute significantly to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pressure on land and water resources. In fact, ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns has been identified as the 12th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), and SDG 12.3 focuses on halving global per capita food wastage.  The massive wastage of food in Sri Lanka is not something the country can afford to ignore, given the existing food and economic crisis the country is dealing with, and without a question, a national-level programme is of utmost importance. However, as in most cases, there is a lot every citizen can do to help manage this situation, as every individual wastes some amount of food on different occasions, if not every day. More or less, every citizen is a part of this problem and therefore, the responsibility to waste less food lies with every individual, and to be part of the solution.   


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