How to Turn the Tables on Food Waste | Dana Gunders | TED

Summary

The speaker addresses the staggering issue of global food waste, highlighting its environmental impact, including methane emissions and land use, which contribute to climate change. They emphasize that 1 billion meals are wasted daily, costing $1 trillion and causing a significant greenhouse gas footprint. Solutions are presented, such as Cold Hubs in Nigeria, which use solar power to reduce spoilage, and 'Too Good To Go', an app that discounts unsold food. The speaker calls for systemic changes, policy support, and individual actions like meal planning and better understanding of food labels to combat this problem.

Takeaways

• 🍽️ Globally, 1 billion meals go uneaten every day, contributing to hunger and food waste worth $1 trillion.
• 🌱 The food waste industry has a climate impact five times greater than the aviation industry, largely due to methane emissions from rotting food in landfills.
• 🌍 By 2050, it's projected that we'll need 50% more food than we had in 2010, raising questions about land use and deforestation for agriculture.
• 🔎 Solutions to reduce food waste include better management across the food supply chain, with prevention being the most cost-effective strategy.
• 🌐 The UN has set a goal to cut food loss and waste in half by 2030, which could have significant environmental benefits.
• 💡 Innovative solutions like solar-powered cold rooms in Nigeria (Cold Hubs) and last-minute discount apps (Too Good To Go) are reducing food waste and benefiting farmers and consumers.
• 🏢 Large food service companies like Compass Group are implementing waste tracking and portion size adjustments to reduce food waste by up to 50%.
• 💼 Investment in scaling successful food waste reduction solutions is needed, with Refed estimating $18 billion for the US alone could yield a 4:1 return on investment.
• 🏡 Policy changes, such as laws in Ecuador, Japan, and France that restrict food from going to landfills, encourage composting and reduce waste.
• 🛒 Consumers can reduce food waste by shopping with lists, planning meals, loving leftovers, freezing food, and using their senses instead of relying solely on labels.

Q & A

Why is the speaker obsessed with the amount of food we waste?

The speaker is obsessed with food waste because it is a significant contributor to climate change, uses vast amounts of resources, and is a solvable problem that could help feed the hungry and reduce environmental impact.

How big is the scale of food waste as described in the script?

The scale of food waste is immense, with a farm the size of the United States producing enough to fill 100 tractor trailers every minute, all year long, which ends up in landfills, contributing to methane emissions.

What is the environmental impact of food waste in terms of greenhouse gases?

Food waste has a greenhouse gas footprint five times larger than the entire aviation industry, with methane being a significant contributor from rotting food in landfills.

How much food is wasted globally every day, and what is its economic value?

Globally, 1 billion meals are wasted every day, which is more than a meal per person for everyone facing hunger, and it's worth $1 trillion.

What is the projected food demand by 2050, and how does it relate to food waste?

By 2050, it's projected that we'll need about 50% more food than we had in 2010. Reducing food waste could help meet about 20% of this gap, emphasizing the importance of managing food better.

What are some reasons behind food waste according to the script?

Reasons for food waste include the invisibility of the problem due to lack of measurement, cheap food and disposal costs, lack of infrastructure for proper storage, over-purchasing, and concerns about food safety leading to premature disposal.

How does the Nigerian company Cold Hubs address food waste?

Cold Hubs builds solar-powered cold rooms in markets and farms, extending the shelf life of food and allowing farmers to sell their produce for longer, thus reducing waste and increasing income.

What is the Too Good To Go app, and how does it help reduce food waste?

Too Good To Go is an app that allows restaurants and grocery stores to offer discounts on products that would otherwise be thrown away, reducing waste and providing value to both businesses and customers.

What steps is the speaker suggesting individuals can take to reduce food waste?

Individuals can reduce food waste by shopping with lists and planning meals, loving leftovers, freezing food to extend its life, using up items before restocking, and understanding food labels to avoid unnecessary waste.

Why is it important for consumers to be less accepting of food waste?

Consumers are the largest source of food waste, and changing cultural attitudes towards food waste can lead to significant reductions in overall waste and contribute to a more sustainable food system.

What is the UN Sustainable Development Goal related to food waste, and what is its target year?

The UN Sustainable Development Goal related to food waste is to cut food loss and waste in half by 2030.