Britain, we have a problem: wonky fruit and surplus produce
If food waste were a country it would be the world’s third largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and the USA. Each year, 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted globally, which is equivalent to one third of all food produced for human consumption. This wasted food accounts for eight to ten percent of greenhouse gas each year, and 30% of global carbon emissions are caused by food production and consumption which requires significant resources in terms of land, energy and water.
In the UK alone, 9.52 million tonnes of food is thrown away every year, which is equivalent to 25 million tonnes of greenhouse gases. 6.6 million tonnes of the food waste generated in the UK comes from household food waste, and almost three quarters of it could have been eaten. According to a recent WRAP report, food waste costs the average four-person household £1,000 a year in food which has been bought but not eaten.
Photo by: Maggie John
Photo by: Maggie John
A further 3 million tonnes of edible food doesn’t even make it out of the farm gates which, if it did, could provide more than 18 million meals a day. On-farm food waste also accounts for around 10% of greenhouse gas emissions from UK farming. Working to combat on-farm food waste could not only help to boost farmer’s profits, but it would support UK food security and help to tackle climate change.
While the statistics are bleak and the numbers are so big, they are almost unfathomable, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and there are wonderful ways in which people are combatting the problem, whether your watermelons are wonky or your bananas are bruised.
Credit: Maggie John
Credit: Maggie John
The rejects are rebelling, the ugly are uprising and wonky fruit is willing to come out on top
Left & Ripe: Doing what's right with what's left
Left & Ripe, a London based RTD (ready-to-drink) company founded by 29-year-olds Sam and Ben, has had one such idea. The duo first met at primary school in New Zealand, and they have been best friends ever since.
Noticing the abundance of wonky fruit available in the UK, Left & Ripe has ingrained it into their brand and ethos, turning it into a delicious drink which proves it all tastes the same, no matter what it looks like.
All its wonky ingredients are sourced within the UK from apples and elderflower to rhubarb, and ginger already comes in weird and wonderful shapes and nobody bats an eyelid.
Sam said: “Instead of creating a business to just create a business, we wanted to solve a problem with a unique selling point which is different from the rest, and it’s a way to educate the public on an issue which shouldn’t exist.
“We are going again against the rule of thumb and doing our part to say no, don't throw it out, we will take it and turn it into something which people can drink and enjoy.”
While Left & Ripe is an example of making a difference through a purpose driven approach to business, redistributing produce to those who need it most is also a way to utilise surplus produce for good, rather than letting it go to waste.
Credit: Sam Thomas
Credit: Sam Thomas
The Felix Project
While wonky fruit and vegetables are part of the problem, they are a very smaller cog in a very big machine and finding ways to deal with the significant amount of food waste which is generated in UK homes is quite difficult to deal with.
Organisations like the Felix Project, have found a way to use food waste which is generated by retailers, restaurants and supply manufacturers.
They work with 500 suppliers and take any surplus food they have and distribute it to one of the 1000 community organisations and schools they work with across London.
Charlie Neal, the senior press lead at the Felix Project, said: "Our mission is to see that no good food is wasted in London and no Londoner goes hungry.
"We're taking the problem of food waste and using it to feed those who need it."
The Felix Project tries to distribute as much fresh produce as possible and it’s very seasonal: a lot of apples in apple season, plenty of parsnips in the run up to Christmas and scores of salad in the summer.
Charlie explained: "When you go to one of our depots, you will see an amazing array of food, and what is really striking is that if we weren't there, the likelihood is that this food would have gone in the bin."
Even if something doesn't look perfect, or it's not as perfect as you'd like it to be, it's still perfectly edible and full of all the essential nutrients you need.
According to WRAP, three million tonnes of produce doesn’t even make it past the farm gates because of its appearance, and that food could be going to people who really need it. However, farmers are in a difficult situation. While the government provides subsidies for anaerobic digestion and biomethane plants, there are no subsidies to encourage farmers to give away their surplus produce, which means perfectly edible food is being used to create energy, instead of feeding people. The Felix Project is working with FareShare to raise £25 million to pay farmers for giving away their surplus food which would not only help feed people, but it would also reduce the amount of edible food going to waste.
What can the ordinary household do to reduce the amount of food waste they create?
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