On October 16, we celebrate World Food Day. On this day, it is worth remembering that 40% of food produced in the world goes to waste1. According to the latest Eurostat data, we waste 4.6 million tons in Poland. This is more than last year. Producing food that ends up in the trash consumes more than a quarter of all available drinking water and occupies an area larger than China2. Awareness of this problem in the face of rising raw material costs and climate change is crucial to counteracting this problem.
What do Poles know about wasting food?
A study by the social impact company Too Good To Go3 conducted in 10 countries where the application is available shows that as many as 33% of Poles believe that wasting food does not have a negative impact on the environment. This is the weakest result of all the markets surveyed. We are ahead of Portugal (10%), Italy (12%), Austria (15%) and the United States (30%).
Almost every second Pole (49%) claims that they are losing the bond with food and its source, which is reflected in their practices – every fifth person (19%) throws away nutritious food at least once a month.
Food is no longer perceived as something valuable, it becomes only something practical and disposable, rather than a valuable resource requiring effort in production and preparation. This approach has real consequences, which we see in the latest Eurostat research on the scale of food waste in Poland – comments Anna Podkowińska-Tretyn, Country DIrector Too Good To Go.
We are reluctant to use our senses
As many as 61% of respondents in Poland declare that they get rid of food because they are not sure whether it is still suitable for consumption. Of all the markets examined, it is Poles who assess the shelf life of products to the greatest extent based on the date on the packaging and not on observation and senses. Meanwhile, WULS-SGGW research shows that many properly stored products that have exceeded the “best before” date are safe for consumption 6 months after the specified date4. The tested products included, among others: UHT milk and cream, jam, tomato paste, mayonnaise, millet, pâté or canned tuna. The scale of food waste in Poland, reaching over 4.6 million tons per year, clearly shows that the problem is still serious and requires coordinated actions. To effectively reduce food losses, a multidimensional strategy is needed, taking into account consumer education, the development of tools such as Too Good To Go and regulatory changes. At Too Good To Go we save 4 meals every second, and at the same time 80,000 are wasted. This shows that there is room for even greater influence – says Anna Podkowińska-Tretyn, Country Director of Too Good To Go.
