In India, food grains are treated as God, and hence in our culture, wasting food or showing disrespect to food is considered a sin. Unfortunately, in modern times, we have forgotten these principles. This is the reason why millions of tons of food are wasted in wedding ceremonies. Look at the irony of life where millions of people are starved for food while tons of it is getting wasted every single day!
A recent survey reveals that with increased affordability, people are becoming indifferent towards food. The tendency to spend is growing, and so is the tendency to waste. Even today, we can see 40% of the food in the garbage bins near wedding locations. If we could somehow prevent this gross wastage of food, we would be able to feed millions of mouths.
According to the World Food Organization, 40% of the food grains produced by a country are getting wasted every year. Statistics show that the money equivalent to the food wasted could have bettered the life of 50 million children.
In India, billions of rupees are spent on government schemes, 120 million kids are given afternoon meals every day, millions of rupees are spent providing employment and food
with the slogan – job for every person and food to appease the hunger of everyone. Despite this, every year, 10 lakh kids below five die of malnutrition, 51% of families rely on
livelihood from daily wage jobs, more than 4 lakh families make their ends meet by digging into garbage bins, and 6.68 lakh families beg for their livelihood.
More than 40% of rural families earn less than ten thousand rupees per month. It is heart-rending to know that the amount of wheat wasted every year in India is equivalent
to Australia’s annual wheat production. The value of the wasted grain is so much that this could feed 30 crores people for an entire year.
In our country, 2.1 crore tonnes of wheat get wasted merely because of a lack of storage facility. With the amount of wastage incurred by government-purchased grains and
wheat that gets wasted because of being left in the open, we could easily construct 5000 storage structures. All that is required is our persistent efforts.
In this context, global food and farming organizations have released a report analyzing the challenges associated with food wastage. The report clearly states that we cannot ensure food security without stopping wastage. This report also investigated the effect of global food wastage on the environment. It note that wastage of food has an adverse impact on air, soil, water, and the planet’s entire ecology. It further said the wasted food releases more than 3 billion tons of dangerous greenhouse gases. Our carelessness and actions without foresight result in wastage of more than one-third of the produce.
All of us are aware of the massive food wastage that happens during marriages, functions, and festivals. A lot of food find its way into garbage bins. Many times, food that is thrown
gives out such a foul odor that it creates problems for the entire neighborhood. Birds and animals die because of eating stale food. The Indian government is also worried about the huge wastage of food during weddings. In addition to restricting the number of guests invited, the Food Department is even thinking of limiting the number of items served in a wedding feast.
The women in our country can do a lot to prevent the wastage of food. They should teach their kids right from childhood to take only as much food as they can eat. Sharing what you eat can also reduce wastage to a great extent. To prevent wastage, all of us must change our habits. Social and religious organizations should also take the initiative on this issue.
Volunteers have come together and arranged ‘Roti Bank’ in many cities. The volunteers go around the city, collect the leftover food from different event venues, and provide it to
the hungry and needy people. In this way, wastage of food is avoided, and at the same time, many hungry people are fed with this system. The movement by the United Nations
Environment Program (UNEP) – ‘Think, Eat and Save’ is a good beginning. One can join this movement and help prevent wastage of food. We should all come together and create
social awareness on this topic.
Delhi government has taken a good initiative in this regard, which needs to be appreciated. By the Supreme Court order, the Delhi government has decided to prevent food wastage in the capital city during weddings and celebrations in function halls, hotels, motels, and farmhouses. Wedding organizers should intimate the local authorities a week before the event and declare the number of guests who will participate in the wedding, when
the function will begin and end, and the NGO, which will be contacted if the food is left over. The name, contact number, and address of the NGO should be specified. Such efforts should now take the form of a mass movement to handle this critical social problem while there is still time.