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Feed back please ! 
First things first. A quick but fervent ‘thank you’ goes out to whoever is responsible for the plate of food that I dig into every meal time. I might take it for granted but I know that I am one of the lucky ones. Billions around the world are not so lucky. In fact, almost one third of the population in my own country goes to bed without dinner, on most nights. I am aware of that, so I am thankful. But wait, if I know this, why is not my plate empty when I finish? Oh, what remain are mostly bits of vegetables or fruits or lumps of cereals. Things that I leave uneaten because I am too full or too fussy. But sometimes it is more than that. The second helping of a rich dessert, or a milk product I am allergic to. Portions of leftover food, which when put together, can actually make a complete meal. And where does it go when I am done with it? Dumped in the bin of course. Can we afford to let our leftovers go waste? Can we afford to throw away ANY food? |
| FOOD FACTS |
I
ndia houses 20 per cent of the Earth’s population (1.1 billion out of 7.30 billion). The number keeps rising. But our portion of the global resources of water and farmlands is only about five per cent. And even this meagre share is depleting, as it gets degraded or dry. Worldwide, the demand of food puts immense pressure on natural resources, especially forests and water. Almost 80 per cent deforestation is triggered by the need to acquire more land to grow food crops. Less than one percent of freshwater available can be used for agriculture. Irrigation systems are under stress everywhere. After the production stage, it is the transportation of food which takes a huge toll on environment. Any food item, today, on an average travels at least 1,500 to 2,500 miles (4,000 km) to reach our plates, and obviously burns large volumes of fossil fuel on its way. |
| So, food costs. Not to waste it is an environmental and economic responsibility. But have we learnt to shoulder it yet? |
| GOURMET GUTTER? |
Mr Arora went to attend a wedding reception. The menu was elaborate and the food delicious. But even after the 500 guests, inlcuding Mr Arora, were fed and taken care of, containers were still overflowing with goodies. He had seen the same in many such events, but this time Mr Arora decided to investigate. “What will you do with all the leftover food?,” he asked the catering staff. “We shall eat some, and then ask the hosts to take the rest home,” answered one of the boys. But another one was shaking his head. “Very few of them actually pack it all up. Mostly the hosts are too busy to bother about extra food. So we just dump it in the bins,” he said. “Why don’t you give it away?”, asked a perturbed Mr Arora. “There are some stray beggars around, but where will we go looking for more starving people at this time of the night?”, the caterer demanded to know. And he is not the only culprit anyway. The restaurants we dine in, the super markets where we shop, are all party to this crime of food wastage. |
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