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Curbing the loss and waste of food: a national endeavour

28 Sep 2022

At a time when various parts of the world are facing food crises of different degrees, tomorrow (29) has been declared the International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction. Adding that the number of people affected by hunger has been slowly on the rise since 2014, the United Nations (UN) noted that this International Day is an opportunity to call to action both the public (national or local authorities) and the private sector (businesses and individuals), to prioritise actions and move ahead with innovation towards reducing food loss and waste, and restoring and building better, more resilient food systems. For many Sri Lankans, several months ago, a food crisis seemed highly unlikely. However, as the economic crisis worsened, fears of a possible food crisis also heightened. Now, in fact, the crisis has begun, and the people seem alarmed at the cases of children starving being reported almost every day. Saving food has become a bigger priority for Sri Lankans than they expected. The prevailing uncertainty surrounding the accessibility and affordability of food, according to both local and international experts, has a high likelihood of becoming the most pressing impact of the economic crisis that could affect a massive share of the population. Although both the Government and non-Governmental organisations have initiated several projects to prevent a food crisis or minimise its impacts, the country’s food security situation does not seem promising, with frequent prices hikes and the lack of availability of food. However, it is not only the Government or welfare groups, but also the people who have to take responsibility when it comes to consuming and handling food sparingly. It is due to this situation, which does not seem promising at all, that the people who can still afford to purchase adequate food regardless of high prices should reduce wasting food, and whenever possible, share with those who are not in a position to afford food. Community-level awareness projects on reducing food wastage, as well as collective projects to share excessive food or donate food, should also become priorities of both the Government and of activists. At the same time, businesses involved in providing food, mainly restaurants and hotels, also have a responsibility. While many such businesses are reported to dispose of large amounts of food, both locally and globally, there has been a lack of a proper mechanism to transfer edible, leftover food to those in need. This situation has been highlighted in the Sri Lankan context too. Even though there are a handful of groups that are engaged in this effort, they have pointed out the lack of support, especially from the Government, as being a major reason that has hindered the expansion and mainstreaming of those operations. In this context, it is also perhaps the best time for the Government to extend its support to these groups, and pay attention to launching similar State-run projects. Most importantly, Sri Lanka is yet to prevent crop losses to a considerable level, in a context where around 40% of the total food production is said to be wasted due to storage and transportation-related issues. The prevailing crisis should be a wake-up call for the authorities, who are yet to address this prolonged issue.  As the UN stated, saving and properly managing food is a collective endeavour. While it is true that the Government has limited resources, it has a responsibility to mobilise those who have the ability to support it.  


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