Food waste trail in ‘The Atom Araullo Specials‘

This Sunday, 4:30 p.m. on GMA-7, Atom Araullo traces and highlights how food is wasted from production to consumption in The Atom Araullo Specials episode “Lamang Tiyan: A Food Waste Trail.”

Around 7.3 million Filipinos consider themselves food poor, according to a recent survey of Social Weather Station. Despite this number, food wastage remains a big problem in the Philippines.

In Samar, where poverty and malnutrition are at alarming levels, Atom faces those suffering from lack of food. There is enough food in the country for everyone, yet 296,869 metric tons of rice is wasted every year in the country, enough to feed two million Filipinos.

In Benguet, considered to be the country’s vegetable basket, Atom discovers a glaring problem: the large quantity of vegetable waste. This reaches up to 60 tons daily and is disposed at the trading post and composting facility. According to a recent study, 45 percent of all fruits and vegetables produced are wasted.

Ever wonder where leftover buffet food including meat, seafood, and cereals end up? The team discovers an alarming truth.

In Tondo, Manila, meat is recycled from trash, washed and re-cooked. Pagpag has long been seen as a terrible symptom of widespread hunger. It has also become a business in marginalized parts of Metro Manila.

As part of the global call to eliminate food waste and hunger, Rise Against Hunger Philippines established the first food bank in the country: The Good Food Grocer. Good Food Grocer partners with private companies, local government units, food manufacturers, and dining establishments to facilitate the cycle of food donation. The Food Bank serves as a link between wastage and hunger. It offers the community nutritious produce and meals at discounted prices, and gives away what can’t be sold—a practice that reduces food waste while helping those in need.