THE WASTING RACE

INTRODUCTION

The human race has achieved tremendous milestones, particularly after the industrial revolution. Food production, labour specialization, efficient processing and transportation of goods among others were achieved allowing man to better understand and manipulate the environment for his benefit. It is against that background that readers will be shocked by the disparities in food production and consumption throughout the world. The topic of this essay, however, is focused on the food wasting habits of the human race. Humans have totally failed to emulate nature where wastage is negligible.  Humans compete with each other in throwing food in rubbish bins, which food will end up in landfills. The sheer amount of waste from humans is unbelievable and is costly. We are indeed a wasting race.

According to an authoritative report by FAO, almost a third of food produced in the world is wasted, and that translates to about 1.3 billion tonnes of food. The major culprits are the rich and famous, mainly located in the developed world, pursuing an ostentatious living, unashamedly wasting highly processed food, a whopping 222 million tonnes. In America alone food wastage amounts to 40% worth a staggering $48.3 billion. 

Excess food recovered by activists in America

This is despite the fact that 795 million people world wide are suffering from chronic hunger. In Sub-Saharan Africa, of which I am a proud citizen, 23% of the population is hungry.   Furthermore, 23 million of school going children in the sub-region attend school hungry, every day. The region produces only 230 million tonnes of food, meaning that if the developed world could channel the 222 million tonnes of food it dumps in landfills, the food deficit in our region could be easily be eliminated. 

Hunger kills more people in the world than AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis combined. In Africa the death toll from hunger can only be rivalled by witchcraft. 

 

A hungry child suffering from acute hunger

 The striking contradictions above make a compelling case for the human race to do something about hunger. Yes, there are reasons why the developing world is failing to feed its inhabitants but the issue here is that if the current food quantities available on earth could be shared equally and responsibly then there would be no one suffering from hunger. This is more pertinent when people are literally throwing food in landfills, oblivious of the cost involved. It will not be accurate to state that all food wastage, especially at retail and consumption stages occurs in the developed world only. Even here in Sub-Saharan Africa affluent members of the society are throwing valuable food in the rubbish bins, despite the fact that they live in the midst of hunger. It is bad behaviour to waste food when other people are hungry. It can easily be called evil when wasting food is done in greater proportions and consistently. Conversely conserving and sharing food is not only good behaviour but is Godliness. 

A man picking grain for his sustenance

When Jesus Christ fed multitudes from only five small loaves of barley bread and two small fish intended for a small boy’s lunch, the remaining food which filled twelve baskets was not thrown away. He personally instructed His disciples to ensure that all the food be conserved. He said, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” (John 6:12 NIV) When He was teaching his disciples how to pray to the Heavenly Father, there is line where He says, “Give us this day our daily bread”. 

The Great Ancient Egypt became more prosperous when Joseph, after being alerted by God, advised rulers there on the need to meticulously conserve food (grain) for seven consecutive years, without failure, in specially built silos. The trade of scarce grain at firm prices during the ensuing famine which lasted 7 years buoyed the Egyptian economy to greater heights.

When Israelites, the descendants of Jacob, where being led by Moses from Egypt to the Promised Land, some years later, God told them that each and every household would collect manna, a special food, in accordance with their needs: nothing more, nothing less. They were impressed to take portions they needed, and desist from hoarding food. Those who took more than enough were overwhelmed by maggots. Christians and Theologians have deeper interpretations but the above analogy is relevant to our very topic of wasting food, through buying more than the legitimate needs of your household. 

So what is the cost of wasting food?

The costs of wasting food can be categorised as economic, social and environmental. Economic costs relate to the wastage of valuable and expensive resources such as electricity, fertilizers, fuel, pesticides, labour, and capital to grow and rear food, only to throw the same in landfills. It’s literally burning cash. 

The environmental costs emanate from deforestation as farmers continue to expand their plots to meet a fake demand of food (because purchasing managers of retail shops and manufactures continue to order and produce food at a pace where consumers are not consuming the food), depleted water supplies, biodiversity loss, massive fossil fuel consumption. All these things, together with release of methane gas in the atmosphere from decomposing food in landfills, heighten the greenhouse effect which makes the earth warmer causing sudden and dramatic changes to climate. 

The ensuing social upheavals manifest themselves in increased pollution causing deadly diseases like cancer that decimate populations, reduced farmer incomes causing high incidences of poverty, increased social ills as households attempt to adjust to loss of income resulting in outbreak of STIs and increased crimes leading to overcrowded jails,  lost livelihoods and eventually outbreak of civil strife resulting in loss of lives due to civil wars, cross-border armed conflicts, break down of law and order where hope is totally lost and communities progress is derailed, as militias and bandits take centre stage, brandishing machetes and automatic weapons, declaring themselves as governments and rulers of man, by ironically enslaving people and committing heinous crimes that even the most educated and experienced international jurists and barristers will fail to fathom. Such is the cost of habitually throwing food in the rubbish bins!   

The wealthy people should be reminded sternly that the personal cost of throwing food is immeasurable. These people who live like royals should remember the infamous Queen Antoinette of France. Upon being informed by aides at the Royal Palace on the predicament of the malnourished populace, seeking audience with the rulers on the pressing need to obtain the basic cereals to make their daily bread,  she subconsciously retorted, “Let them eat cake.”  That statement, without exaggerating, was a turning point in the famous French Revolution and she eventually lost her head, when the revolutionaries borrowed her head and never returned it back.

The total cost of wasting food in monetary value is conservatively estimated at $2.6 trillion.  

Where is Food Wasted?

Research has shown that food is lost principally at consumption stage both in developed and developing world. In developed countries food is generally plentiful and many households can afford to purchase great quantities of food items. There is a terrible habit of the rich where they continue buying food even if their pantries are full. Shopping as a hobby is inappropriate, however shopping food as a hobby is highly irresponsible. People should buy food quantities they fully utilize. There is also lack of coordination between retail chains and farmers and manufactures leading to overproduction and overstocking at retail chains resulting in food, processed food for that matter, being literally offloaded in landfills – what a waste by this race?

In Sub-Saharan Africa, food is also lost at pre-harvesting, harvesting and post-harvesting stages due to inadequate infrastructure and technology for preservation and value addition. However we reiterate that the main culprits of food wastage in these localities are actually the rich who flaunt their wealth by throwing food in rubbish bins. Even the middle class and low income earners, when they are doing well financially are seen throwing great quantities of food in the rubbish bins, copying the terrible habits of the rich. 

Valuable food being offloaded in landfill

The Pet Dilemma

Dogs and cats of this world are well nourished, when humans are starving. Animals, it would appear, have more rights than humans. During the colonial era in Africa, the colonial master would keep his dog on the front seat of his van, while his worker (servant) was at the back of an open truck, even in extreme weather. Without exaggerating, this was one on the long list of grievances why the war of liberation was waged against colonialism. It symbolized and confirmed extreme segregation, oppression and discrimination in that the dog, a four legged beast, was considered superior to a human or put this way, the master’s dog was treated far much better than a fully grown up African person, who happened to be a parent, and sometimes an heir to the throne of a Kingdom or clan. 

Needless to say that some of black people who replaced the European settlers in the social hierarchy, condemned their fellow workers to the back of the open truck, even in extreme weather. It is very disheartening that some black people are actually no longer allowing their fellow black workers to take refuge at back of the open truck, who then resort to walking, even in extreme weather. This was aptly observed and captured by George Orwell in his legendary political satirical work, The Animal Farm, wherein farm animals after enduring the oppressive and negligent rule of a farm owner, Mr. Jones, revolted and expelled him from the farm, marking the triumphant revolution where all animals were deemed equal, even though pigs were still opinion leaders and therefore makers of laws. However, it was not long when the rest of the animals looked from pigs to humans and from humans and pigs and struggled to locate the pigs, for there was no difference. The pigs have just replaced Mr. Jones in the social hierarchy and were hell-bent in defending and protecting that position for self-benefit, discarding the ethos of the revolution: equality, freedom.

Solutions

The solution is very simple. People should stop wasting food. However, we know old habits die hard. A concerted effort by stakeholders, including governments, NGOs, developmental agents and activists, volunteers, community and religious leaders should redouble their efforts in conscientising society on the need to conserve food for the benefit of all and the well being of earth, the continuity of the human race and sustenance of future generations. Attitudes should change, and people should value food and wastage should be minimized and perhaps eliminated. These attitudes should be inculcated to humans as early as possible, at kindergartens and continuously taught relentlessly until it becomes a culture that food should not be wasted.  People should not throw litter anywhere and appreciate that nature is a living thing which needs care and that the relationship between the human race and nature is symbiotic and reciprocal. Nature cannot be expected to continue giving the human race while humans continue on a binge of squandering resources. It’s unsustainable and will surely come to an end with disastrous consequences to the wasting race- the human race.

Have a merry Christmas and Happy prosperous 2016. Let's remember the less fortunate by stopping food wastage.