A helping hand for our wasted food

Every time I visit a supermarket, I am bemused by the sight of microwave meals such as fried rice or kao ka prao gai wrapped neatly in plastic containers. A question that always pops in my mind is: Why do we (Thais) have to consume these ready-made foods?

Some say we have to adapt to life in the urban fast lane, but we are so blessed with quick and easy access to restaurants, food stalls and fresh ingredients — if we wished to cook — that it still surprises me.

For me, ready-made food is for people who live in a cold climate or in extreme conditions that have cut access to freshly made food, such as those who are quarantined, under house arrest or who rank as flood evacuees.

I often wonder, too, about what fate awaits this ready-made food when its short shelf life expires. Will it be delivered to a charity, or simply end up in a garbage bin?

According to statistics released by the Pollution Control Department (PCD), most of this kind of food is likely to end up in the bin. Indeed, it only makes up a small share of the vast amount of food Thai people throw out each day. This is sad considering that statistics show one in eight people still don’t have enough food to live on.

Last year, Thais generated more than 27 million tonnes of waste. This breaks down as 74,130 tonnes each day, or 1.14 kg per person per day. Of this waste, 64% comes from food.

However, less than 40% of total waste is disposed of properly. A huge amount ends up in open pits. And because of fermentation, food waste releases methane, a major greenhouse gas that is helping to heat up the Earth.

Food waste is becoming a global issue. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) now estimates it costs US$1 trillion and causes 3.3 billion tonnes of greenhouses gas emissions — from the energy used in production and transportation as well as the emissions pumped out during the disposal process.

European countries such as Denmark, France and Italy have all come up with legal measures to reduce their food waste.

The French government in 2015 passed a law prohibiting supermarkets from destroying or discarding food that has expired but is still considered to be safe to eat.

Denmark, which has cut food waste by a quarter in five years, offers subsidies for projects that show they can reduce food waste. The nation even has a special supermarket that sells food which has expired but remains edible.

Yet, food waste is still something of a non-issue in Thailand.

“Thai society doesn’t think much about how to deal with leftover food. When people want to donate food, they will buy it freshly cooked or order food vendors to cook it,” said Sitthiphol Chuprajong, a campaigner for Food for Friends. This charity uses food that has been donated and gives it to poor and homeless people.

“A system that makes use of expired but still edible food, or leftover ingredients from restaurants, hotels or supermarkets, for those in need hardly even exists. So there’s still a huge amount that can used but which is just chucked away,” the campaigner said.

Scholars of Sustenance (SOS), a nonprofit organisation, also tries to make use of expired or leftover food by donating it to those in need or using it for animal feed or as a source of organic fertiliser.

Last Tuesday, Tesco Lotus launched a project to donate surplus food to charity, starting with 23 hypermarkets in Bangkok. It also gives expired food and ingredients to charity projects.

On the surface, these look like charities. But according to Better Business, Better World by the UK-based Business and Sustainable Development Commission (BSDC), which was released last January, managing food waste ranks among 12 economies of the future that can help the world economy develop in a more sustainable and inclusive way.

The others include renewable energy, sustainable transportation systems, building solutions and healthy lifestyles. According to the report, cutting food waste and supply-chain losses, or adding value, could yield returns of up to $685 billion.

NGOs and private companies such as Tesco-Lotus deserve our applause. But more than that, they deserve help at the policy level, for example with regulations, technical assistance and incentives that make it easier for them to donate or recycle leftover food.

Without such policy help, a vast amount of resources will continue to be thrown away.

Anchalee Kongrut writes for Asia Focus, Bangkok Post.