THE BIG DEBATE Should we be punished for wasting food?

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "THE BIG DEBATE Should we be punished for wasting food?"

Russell Harmon
5 years ago
Views:

THE BIG DEBATE Should we be punished for wasting food? THE DILEMMA Latest figures show that people in the UK throw away 13 billion worth of food every year a whopping 7.3 million tonnes.

9 million tonnes was made up of scraps that could not be eaten such as meat bones, eggshells, tea bags and and fruit and vegetable peelings. With more than 1.

1 THE BIG DEBATE Should we be punished for wasting food? THE DILEMMA Latest figures show that people in the UK throw away 13 billion worth of food every year a whopping 7.3 million tonnes. Of that total, 4.4 million tonnes was said to be avoidable waste, which is food that was edible at some point before it was put in the bin. The remaining 2.9 million tonnes was made up of scraps that could not be eaten such as meat bones, eggshells, tea bags and and fruit and vegetable peelings. With more than 1.2 million people in the UK using food banks because they cannot afford to buy food, and with 795 million people around the world going hungry, many people think it s outrageous that we chuck out so much food most of it because we have let it go mouldy or do not finish our plates at dinner time. In some parts of Britain, there are three regular rubbish collections: general rubbish (such as non-recyclable plastics), recyclables (such as cardboard and glass), and food waste. The food rubbish is recycled by the local council into compost. Certain councils now fine people who place their food waste into the general rubbish bin. Last year, France became the first country in the world to ban supermarkets from throwing away or destroying unsold food. Instead, the supermarkets are now forced to donate their unwanted food to charities and food banks. Is it time our government took strict action to prevent food waste? Should there be fines for people who throw away too much food, and should restaurants and supermarkets be forced to give away food they no longer want to sell? Or is it up to us as individuals, not the Government, to control what we eat and what we throw away?

Food bank A place where people who are too poor to afford food are referred by a doctor, social worker or police officer. At the food bank, they are given some food to take home and cook.

2 Food bank A place where people who are too poor to afford food are referred by a doctor, social worker or police officer. At the food bank, they are given some food to take home and cook. compost Decaying organic material that is used to improve the quality of soil, and therefore help things grow. Compost is made of natural matter, such as food, plants, grass and flowers. FACTS & FIGURES The average UK household wastes 470 worth of food a year. The avoidable food waste in the UK generate 19 MILLION tonnes of greenhouse gases. Things have improved, though: between 2007 and 2012, the total amount of household food waste in the UK fell by 15%, and avoidable food waste dropped by 21%. We re saving 3.3 BILLION a year compared with A survey found that 81% of UK families of four believe they throw away less than 30 worth of food a month, when in reality they waste a month, on average. 93% of Britons reckon they waste less than 5 meals a month, when on average they actually waste double that the equivalent of 11 meals per month. POVERTY & FOOD BANKS While the average British household chucks out nearly 500 worth of food a year, one in nine people around the world were suffering from long-term undernourishment (not getting a healthy amount of food) in Closer to home, between 2011 and 2014, almost a third (32.5%) of the UK population experienced poverty at least once. Poverty is defined in this case as living on very little money. Poverty affects one in four children in the UK today. With around 13 million people living below the poverty line in the UK, some individuals go hungry for a number of reasons. They can have their benefit payments delayed, or have unexpected bills, or be unable to work for a long period of time because of illness. As a result, some people are referred to food banks for emergency supplies that are meant to last three days. Food bank use is increasing: The Trussell Trust runs 400 food banks across the UK, and between 1st April 2016 and 31st March 2017, they provided 1,182,954 emergency food supplies to people compared to 1,109,309 in Of this year s figure, 436,938 went to children. A worker at a food bank DID YOU KNOW? According to the United Nations, a third of all food produced for human consumption in the world is lost or wasted that s about 1.2 billion tonnes.

A HISTORY OF WASTE Food waste has been a big issue in the UK for around 100 years. The First World War, which ran from 1914 to 1918, saw campaigns launched to discourage food waste.

Rationing was introduced in Britain towards the end of the First World War, but it was far more widespread during the Second World War (1939 1945).

3 A HISTORY OF WASTE Food waste has been a big issue in the UK for around 100 years. The First World War, which ran from 1914 to 1918, saw campaigns launched to discourage food waste. Food becomes scarce during wartime as hundreds of thousands of soldiers need to be fed and enemy forces often disrupt the food supply by attacking ships that import foods from abroad. Rationing was introduced in Britain towards the end of the First World War, but it was far more widespread during the Second World War ( ). Meat, butter, sugar, meat, tea, jam, cereals, eggs, sweets and other food items were controlled and only sold in limited weekly quantities to ensure there was enough to go around. Many foods from abroad, such as bananas, disappeared from shelves. Food rationing did not end until 1954 nine years after the war had finished. Less food meant less waste, and the Government encouraged people to use up all their leftovers to avoid going hungry. Over time, people grew tired of the limitations on their weekly shop, and the return of normal food sales was welcomed. Some of the food rations per adult per week during the Second World War: Bacon and ham 100g Butter 50g Cheese 50g (though it rose as high as 225g at one point) Margarine 100g Cooking fat 100g Milk 1,800 ml (3 pints) Sugar 225g Eggs 1 a week Tea 50g (about 20 bags a week) Dried eggs 1 packet every 4 weeks Sweets 350g every 4 weeks A Second World War poster A children s ration book

CONFUSING DATES Supermarkets have come in for a lot of criticism for the confusing dates they place on food.

If you look at food packaging, you might find a use by date, a sell by date, a best before or even a display until date.

Eating these products after the use by is potentially dangerous to your health but some foods can still be OK for a little while after this date.

4 CONFUSING DATES Supermarkets have come in for a lot of criticism for the confusing dates they place on food. It is thought this encourages food waste as people throw away items that are perfectly OK to eat because they may have gone past the date printed on the label. If you look at food packaging, you might find a use by date, a sell by date, a best before or even a display until date. But what is the difference between them all, and are any of them really necessary? Use by date This is supposed to be used on food that will go off quickly, such as fresh meat, fish and salads. Eating these products after the use by is potentially dangerous to your health but some foods can still be OK for a little while after this date. Best before date This appears on frozen, dried, tinned and other foods and is about quality, not safety. When the date is passed, it doesn t mean that the food will be harmful, but it might begin to lose its flavour. Display until or sell by dates These are used by some shops for stock control and are instructions for shop staff, not shoppers. Supermarkets have been criticised for using these confusing dates that have no bearing on the quality or safety of the food product. ENVIRONMENTAL COST Food waste isn t just expensive, it s bad for the environment, too. When disposed of in landfill, food waste releases methane, a damaging greenhouse gas. There is an enormous environmental cost involved in shipping or flying foods to the UK from all around the world. We can now buy summer fruits such as strawberries all year round because they are flown in from around the world when they are out of season in the UK. There is also a large carbon footprint left by the meat industry that comes from the feeding, slaughtering and exporting of animals. The global meat industry produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all cars, planes, trains and ships combined. DID YOU KNOW? A landfill site The charity WRAP has a scheme called Love Food Hate Waste, which aims to raise awareness of the need to reduce food waste and advise the public on practical steps they can take to achieve this. You can find out more at

SAINSBURY S SCHEME Last year, Sainsbury s, one of the biggest supermarket chains in the UK, launched a new scheme in the town of Swadlincote in Derbyshire to help cut food waste.

5 SAINSBURY S SCHEME Last year, Sainsbury s, one of the biggest supermarket chains in the UK, launched a new scheme in the town of Swadlincote in Derbyshire to help cut food waste. It s an example of a system that doesn t punish people but, instead, educates and helps tackle the issue practically. The Waste Less, Save More project aims to reduce food waste by 50% and save the average household 350 a year. How? One thing they are doing is handing out a free fridge thermometer to all households, to make sure fridges are at their best temperature to keep food from going off. Other ideas include leftover labels that display a countdown to tell people when food needs to be eaten by, and changes to food packaging and labeling. Sainsbury s are also looking at developing a smart fridge so that people can check on their smartphone what they have at home, to avoid buying things they don t need. Fines for wasting too much Bins, which belong to the council, could be fitted with scales that record how much waste is in them. If people throw away more than a certain amount, they could be fined. This would encourage people to throw away less but there s the danger they just end up taking their rubbish to public bins or, even worse, dumping it in public spaces, just to avoid the fine. taking action If people are to be punished for throwing too much food away, what kind of action might be taken? Forcing supermarkets to give food away Sainsbury s donated nearly 3,000 tonnes of food last year, but this is just 7% of their unwanted food. Politicians could, if they wanted to, introduce a new law to force supermarkets, restaurants, sandwich shops and others to give away food that would otherwise be chucked in the bin, like in France. This could be donated to homeless hostels, food banks, charities and even schools, youth clubs and care homes for the elderly or disabled. Could a smartphone connected to a smart fridge reduce waste? Fining supermarkets Figures from Tesco suggested that as much as 44% of bread produced in the UK is wasted, and only half of that is from homes. Supermarket bakeries are producing far too much bread and even are unable to use all they offered it to. So one idea that has been suggested is for supermarkets to be fined for each tonne of waste they produce each year, to encourage them to make and stock less food in the first place. Education More could be done to educate children and adults about food waste and food safety. This could include classes in schools, TV adverts, posters in supermarkets and information on food packaging about what to do with leftovers and to understand when food is safe to eat. There are campaigns and websites already that are trying to tackle the problem of food waste, but a lot more could be done to inform people rather than punish them.

YES, IT S RIGHT TO PUNISH PEOPLE FOR FOOD WASTE no, IT S wrong TO PUNISH PEOPLE FOR FOOD WASTE Fines may prevent people chucking food Creating compost may be more beneficial than fines 1.

Firm action must be taken to stop this from carrying on. 2. Fines change habits The 5p plastic bag charge saw the number handed out fall from 7 billion to 500 million in just a year.

6 YES, IT S RIGHT TO PUNISH PEOPLE FOR FOOD WASTE no, IT S wrong TO PUNISH PEOPLE FOR FOOD WASTE Fines may prevent people chucking food Creating compost may be more beneficial than fines 1. The situation is outrageous 13 billion worth of food, or 7.3 million tonnes, is chucked out in the UK every year, while 1.2 million people use food banks. Firm action must be taken to stop this from carrying on. 2. Fines change habits The 5p plastic bag charge saw the number handed out fall from 7 billion to 500 million in just a year. That s a direct benefit for the planet. People and businesses change their behaviour if they re forced to pay up. Fines for excessive food waste would reduce waste. 3. Other methods don t work Thanks to the internet and government initiatives, there is more information on recycling, composting and leftover recipes than ever before. Yet the waste problem is still massive. Only punishments will make a true difference. 1. It s up to individuals The Government interferes enough in people s dayto-day lives. Freedom of choice is an important part of living in a free, democratic country. Individuals should be left to decide what they do with their rubbish. 2. Fines will make poor people poorer Any system of fines will end up punishing the poor, who cannot afford it, more than the rich. It makes no sense to punish people financially especially if they might have made an honest mistake, or have more waste for a particular reason (such as having more people in their house one week). 3. There are better ways of addressing the problem Education and information are far better tools to tackle food waste. The Sainsbury s scheme in Derbyshire is a great example of a business taking the lead with a positive set of steps to help cut food waste, without the need to punish people.

What kinds of foods do you throw away? Do you think your family throws away a lot of food? What would make you throw less food away: a fine, or knowing more about the effects of food waste?

7 What kinds of foods do you throw away? Do you think your family throws away a lot of food? What would make you throw less food away: a fine, or knowing more about the effects of food waste? Do you think a fine is a good thing? If so, why, and if not, why not? Starving children wait for food while we throw away tonnes every year If you have a garden, would you consider creating some compost? What more could governments do to help reduce food waste? What more could supermarkets do to help reduce food waste? What can you do to help reduce food waste?

English P48984A0112 E202/01. Pearson Edexcel Functional Skills. P48984A 2015 Pearson Education Ltd. Level 2 Component 2: Reading

English *P48984A0112* E202/01. Pearson Edexcel Functional Skills. P48984A 2015 Pearson Education Ltd. Level 2 Component 2: Reading Write your name here Surname Other names Pearson Edexcel Functional Skills English Level 2 Component 2: Reading 12 16 October 2015 Time: 60 minutes You may use a dictionary. Centre Number Candidate Number