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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
