Food waste
Loss of food fit for consumption anywhere along the chain from production to consumption, a major environmental, economic and ethical issue.
Food waste means any food that is lost or thrown away while it was still edible. It happens at every stage: production, processing, distribution, catering and above all at home. It is estimated that around a third of the world’s food is wasted.
The hidden climate disaster: a striking figure, as if food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world (after China and the United States). Wasting food means wasting all the water, energy, land and emissions used to produce, transport and store it, only to end up in landfill, where it releases methane (a potent greenhouse gas).
Reducing waste is thus one of the most effective and accessible levers of a sustainable diet, with more impact than many more visible actions.
The use-by and best-before confusion, a major cause at home: a key factor in household waste is misunderstanding dates
- The use-by date (« to be eaten by ») is mandatory (safety)
- The best-before date (« best eaten before ») is indicative, and the product remains edible afterwards (see these terms)
Many people throw away perfectly safe products that are past their best-before date. France’s AGEC law introduced explanatory wording to combat this reflex.
Concrete ways to cut waste at home:
- Plan meals and shopping (a list, the right quantities)
- Understand dates (use-by versus best-before)
- Store food properly (a well-set fridge, freezing, jars)
- Make use of leftovers (« anti-waste » cooking: soups, gratins, quiches)
- Use the parts often thrown away (carrot tops, peelings, stale bread)
- Buy « wonky » (fruit and vegetables downgraded for appearance, just as good)
- Freeze before it turns
- Compost the unavoidable (waste becomes a resource)
Systemic initiatives: anti-waste apps (unsold food at reduced prices), food donations (the Garot law in France, which requires large supermarkets to donate their edible unsold food) and recovery schemes.
In practice: cutting your waste is both ecological and economical (a family throws away the equivalent of several hundred euros of food a year). It is an accessible action with a big impact, a concrete pillar of a sustainable diet within everyone’s reach.