Asia must solve food waste problem to hit climate goals

Kamala Thiagarajan says the issue is critical for the region and tougher measures are needed

You may think the peas, potatoes or the smidgen of rice you line up by the side of your plate because you just can’t manage another bite are perfectly harmless, but they contribute to one of the most pressing global concerns and could keep Asia from reaching its environmental goals.

The UN environment programme’s (UNEP) Food Waste Index report of 2024 shows the sheer magnitude of the problem that is the link between food waste and the environment. When we waste food, we also waste the resources it took to produce, harvest, transport and package it.

The food that goes into landfills rots and produces methane, a greenhouse gas more potent than carbon dioxide. The UNEP estimates suggest food waste around the world generates as much as 8-10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

While food waste is a global problem, it’s particularly of concern in Asia, which ironically is home to upwards of 370 million undernourished people – about half the world total. While not all of them are starving, the 2021 Asia and the Pacific Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition indicated that more than a billion people in Asia did not have access to adequate food in 2020.

Food security worsened as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic in places such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan.

A European Commission report on Asia’s food retail and food service channels states that region’s food waste is primarily driven by China and India, whereas South Korea and Singapore have made significant interventions to curtail food waste. China accounts for more than 40 per cent of Asia’s food waste, nearly two-thirds of the food waste generated by the entire region. If left unchecked, food waste across China, India and Southeast Asia could rise by an average of 24 per cent in the next decade.

From farm to fork and even when you order in a restaurant, waste is built into the system and defined by Asia’s changing consumption. Global climate change mitigation project Project Drawdown says that not only does food waste matter, our ability to stop climate change could hinge on what we eat and how we grow it.

The food we end up throwing away from an unfinished plate is just the tip of the iceberg. Much of the food loss in Asia occurs in the fields of small farmers who work most of the continent’s farmland. These farmers work in parcels of land that are usually smaller than 2 hectares. However, they also tend to struggle the most, especially after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nearly 500 million small-hold farmers around the world are generating a third of edible food that is wasted globally as a result of damaged soil and crops, water-starved fields and severe labour shortages that affect harvesting. Of these, 350 million small-hold farmers are located in Asia.

A lack of cold storage and transport facilities makes the problem worse, especially in India. The country throws away as much as 30 per cent of its fresh produce each year, wasting fruit and vegetables worth about US$13 billion.

Moderating food demand, improving food distribution and reducing waste have become an urgent priority at both the political and personal level. In moving to achieve this, those who are the most passionate about food are stepping up to the plate in Asia.

Chefs in Asia have made the news for tackling food waste in their communities. On platforms such as Instagram, popular chefs hold sway on this subject. One case in point is chef Koushik Shankar from India. His tips on how to transform what we normally think of as waste, from fish scales to egg shells, have created much needed awareness.

Asian start-up firms are also harnessing technology and employing artificial intelligence-powered apps to help cut back on food waste. A Singapore-based company called Lumitics has developed a food waste tracker called Insight, which is also called a “smart dustbin” because it provides a deeper look into the food people are discarding. The app found that hotel kitchens alone were throwing away 25 per cent of the food they purchase.

Other apps have sprung up across Asia that are taking these restaurant leftovers and turning them into cheap meals that people can order over phone apps. In Malaysia, for instance, the ReMeal app can help people find surplus food from cafes, bakeries and supermarkets at a discounted price.

Apps are not doing enough in the view of some countries, where instead they are starting to impose wide-ranging fines for food waste. It is illegal in South Korea to throw away food, which must be composted instead. Illegally discarding any food can result in penalties of up to 300,000 won (HK$1,715).

In 2021, China instituted a new law where restaurant owners could collect a disposal fee from customers who left a large amount of food on their plates. Restaurants that encourage excessive ordering by their clients, either by lavishing deep discounts or by serving enormous portion sizes so they can charge customers more to cover overhead costs, will receive a warning and then a fine of up to 10,000 yuan (HK$10,827) if the behaviour persists.

Food waste remains a pressing concern in Asia in spite of all of these measures, but one promising sign is that the world is waking up to the fact that we can combat climate change by curbing our consumption. For a start, Food Waste Prevention Week, which is celebrated in early April, is gaining traction and growing into a powerful global movement.

Not only does food waste matter, our ability to stop climate change could hinge on what we eat and how we grow it