Worldwide, around 1.3 billion tonnes of food are wasted every year. Whilst it is very difficult to produce no food waste, this number needs to come down; one reason for this is that almost 1 in 10 people do not get enough to eat. Furthermore, the issue is not just prevalent in the southern hemisphere - approximately 2 million people in the UK (a developed country) rely on food banks. The lack of food security in certain areas and the surplus that is often wasted in others is not a sustainable or equitable way to move forwards. 

So what happens when food is discarded? If the food is not composted at home, it goes to landfill where it rots and produces methane. But how is the gas so detrimental to the planet? Methane traps a lot of heat from the sun - 25% more than carbon dioxide in the short-term - which accentuates the greenhouse effect and ultimately contributes to climate change. A more well-known methane producer is cows. The reason that beef is one of the least eco-friendly foods of all is because cows produce vast amounts of methane as a result of food fermentation in their rumens. 


Luckily for us, we can implement small changes to alter our food-buying, storing and consuming habits that will reduce our carbon footprints and support the global push for sustainability. It is recognised that it’s not realistic to expect the world to stop eating meat, and in particular beef, however there are simple changes we can make such as: growing our own fruit/vegetables and purchasing less beef (among other high-emission foods which can be found on the internet). Studies have shown that changing our diets to avoid high-emission foods could reduce greenhouse gases by roughly 26%. Another way to be more cost-effective whilst also wasting less, is planning meals. By doing this, you only purchase what you need, rather than bulk-buying and potentially wasting.  A final tip is organising your fridge so that the long-dated items go to the back and the shortest-dated are visibly at the front.