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Today is Stop Food Waste Day, a global campaign launched in 2017 to spark action around the global food waste problem.

Let’s pause for a second and sit with that phrase: Global. Food. Waste. Problem. 

Sounds serious, right? Almost overwhelming. But is it really that bad? I mean, are the slices of bread that went mouldy in my kitchen last week really part of a global crisis?

Unfortunately... yes.

Let’s look at the facts. According to WRAP, nearly one quarter of all food produced in the UK is lost or wasted every year. That includes over 6.4 million tonnes of perfectly good, edible food worth more than £21 billion. That’s enough to feed the entire UK population three meals a day for nearly three months.

It’s not just about throwing away a sad carrot or two. The consequences are huge:

• Wasted resources: when we waste food, we’re not just throwing away the apple or the leftovers, we’re also wasting all the water, electricity, fuel, labour, and packaging it took to grow, harvest, transport, store and cook it. All that effort and energy straight into the bin.
• Environmental damage: on campus, we’re lucky to have a food digester that handles leftovers from Eat Central with low emissions. But elsewhere, most food waste ends up in landfill or incinerators, releasing harmful gases and contributing to pollution. Globally, food waste is responsible for up to 10% of greenhouse gas emissions. That's more than the aviation industry.
• Ethical concerns: at the same time as we’re binning perfectly edible food, millions of people in the UK live with food insecurity. It’s a system failure when good food is wasted while families go hungry. And frankly, it feels deeply wrong.

So why is this happening?

The reasons are varied and complex. In households, it can be anything from a forgotten piece of fruit at the back of a cupboard to a frozen meal that’s been claimed by ice crystals and freezer burn. But some patterns are clear: the most wasted items in the UK are bread and potatoes.

Here’s a question for you: why do you think that is?

Personally, I think part of the problem is packaging. Supermarkets often sell food in fixed, pre-packed quantities. Maybe you only need two potatoes, but your only option is a bag of six. No surprise that some get tossed. Of course, there are other reasons too: overbuying, poor meal planning, or just not knowing how to store food properly.

What you can do

Food waste may be a global problem, but it has local and very personal solutions. Here are some things you can try:

• Share the load: if you live with flatmates or friends nearby, try coordinating your grocery shopping. Don’t need a whole bag of potatoes? Split it between you.
• Plan your meals: meal planning might feel like a chore at first, but it makes a big difference. You’ll save time, money and brainpower during the week and reduce waste by only buying what you’ll actually use.
• Use food sharing apps like OLIO: got something you won’t use in time? Snap a photo, upload it to the app, and someone nearby can collect it. It works for food and non-food items.
• Rethink “best before”: “best before” doesn’t mean “bad after.” Many fruits and vegetables are perfectly fine beyond their date. Trust your senses. If it looks good, smells fine, and hasn’t turned into a science experiment, it’s probably still good to eat.
• Get creative with leftovers: turn scraps and extras into something new. The Stop Food Waste Day campaign has an amazing collection of zero-waste recipes that turn what you have into something you’ll love.

Food waste is a big issue, but that means there’s big potential to make a difference. Let’s be more mindful of what we buy, how we store it, and how we share what we don’t need.

Because yes, the mouldy bread in your kitchen does matter.

This work supports the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals: SDG 12 (responsible consumption and production).You can read more about our work on the SDGs here.  

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