Food & The Environment
Food Preparation & Nutrition: AQA GCSE, topic 6.1.5
Food Waste - Households, Producers and Retailers
Food is wasted by households, food retailers and food producers.
Food waste at home
- Poor food preparation - e.g. chopping food too finely to use.
- Ignoring 'use by' dates so food goes off.
- Food being stored badly or at the wrong temperature so it goes off.
- Overcooking or burning food so it's no good to eat.
- Relying too heavily on best before dates - e.g. people throwing away food that's still edible but past this date.
- Throwing away edible leftovers.
Food waste by producers and retailers
- Retailers turning away foods - e.g. if transportation ruins foods, or if foods are imperfect.
- Retailers overstocking - supermarkets throw away products (even if they're still edible) if they're not sold.
- Supermarket offers - consumers purchase more than they need and throw away the excess.
- Bigger and better value products - consumers buy more than they use and throw away the excess.
Reducing food waste
- Store food correctly.
- Consume fridge stock before buying more food.
- Use all parts of foods - e.g. carcass for stocks and soups.
- Eat or freeze leftovers.
- Give unused food to food banks.
- Plan meals before buying and portions before cooking.
- Make a shopping list and only buy what's on the list.
- Shop with a friend or family member and share multipack foods.
- Buy foods with long use by dates and be conscious of these dates.
- Bring uneaten food home from restaurants.
Environmental Issues Related to Packaging
Wasting packaging can have environmental impacts.
Materials used in packaging
- Paper - e.g. juice cartons, flour, sugar, cereals.
- Biodegradable and light.
- Glass - e.g. wine bottles, cooking sauces.
- Reusable and heat-resistant.
- Metal - e.g. canned soup.
- Extends shelf life and heat-resistant.
- Plastic - e.g. take away boxes, cling film.
- Mouldable and transparent.
Advantages of packaging
- Gives food a longer shelf-life.
- Preserves foods.
- Reduces damage during transportation and storage.
- Carries information, food labels and advertising.
- Can keep food in place.
Disadvantages of packaging
- Increases the cost of food (the packaging may be responsible for up to 50% of the price!).
- Fills up landfill sites (especially packaging that takes a while to biodegrade).
- Can harm animals.
- Making packaging is a high energy and resource-heavy process.
- Adds weight to food - this means more energy is needed in transportation.
Lessening environmental impact
- Purchase packaging-free products (e.g. loose avocados and other vegetables).
- Recycle where possible.
- Purchase products packaged in recycled/biodegradable material.
- Use reusable shopping bags instead of single-use plastic bags.
Test yourself on Food & The Environment
Which of these is NOT a method for reducing food waste?
Which of these is NOT a way of reducing the environmental impact of packaging?