The True Cost of Food Waste

Currently our planet is wasting over $100 BILLION each year in overall food waste.

When we think of food waste and the costs surrounding it our first thought is probably the amount of money we’re throwing away every time we chuck out a fruit, a vegetable, something that’s expired. Unfortunately, food waste costs waaaayyy more than that. When you throw away that piece of cake or that milk you think has gone bad, you’re not just wasting the food itself, you’re wasting the money it took to produce it. This includes labor, disposal, and storage, even the amount of water that went into growing that vegetable you’re so casually throwing away. It all adds up.

According to the World Resource Institution, inside the 1.3 billion tons of food being wasted every year around the globe is 45 trillion gallons of water. Yes, that’s right. Water. You know that resource that we’re slowly running out of… the reason why so many countries are in a drought. Hard to believe 45 trillion gallons are just going to waste, eh?

Not only is water being wasted but also we are also constantly emitting greenhouse gases into our planet from production. 3.3 billion tonnes to be exact. Talk about ruining the atmosphere because you didn’t know what best before meant.

Which brings me to my next topic, best before dates.

Best before: the date the manufacturer guarantees the best quality of the product.

If something has past its “best before” date does that mean it’s bad?

Noooo!!! When a product passes the “best before” date, it’s not like a switch flips and all of a sudden it’s bad to eat.

Unfortunately most of us have been led our whole lives to believe that an expiry date and a best before date are one and the same. This leads to perfectly edible items being thrown away (where it rots in a landfill, unless of course, you compost).

Best before dates are there to help us determine when that product is in its prime. You know, like when women are in their 20’s and 30’s, they’re said to be in their “prime”, doesn’t mean when you turn 40 the whole world should discard of you. Am I right? Well it goes for that sour cream or cheese you have in your fridge. Unless there’s some foul smell coming from it, even though it may have past it’s best before date, you can still eat it safely.

‘Use By’ and ‘Sell By’ dates are also worth mentioning as these all seem to confuse the average consumer. Use by date is similar to best before, it doesn’t mean throw it away by that date, it just simply means the manufacturer no longer vouches for the products freshness. Sell by dates are more for the grocery store. Stores are not allowed to put a product on the shelf if it’s passed its sell by date.

If you have any questions about date labels feel free to ask below!

– TSL