Want to save a life? You can … by making simple changes at home. If you’re like me, statistics can sometimes make you roll your eyes. “Ugh. Boring stats. Please don’t make me read another stat.”
But stats can also tell quite a story. Take food and our planet. As you sit there reading this with your tea and biscuit, ponder that 815 million people go to bed every night on an empty stomach. That’s one in nine people on Earth. In Asia, the numbers are even worse. Two-thirds of the population here are malnourished, a condition responsible for nearly half the deaths of children. Appallingly, one-third of all food is wasted. Either people don’t eat everything served or food rots before it can be consumed.*
This is partly why a global masterplan was introduced in 2015 called the “Sustainable Development Goals”. Among the goals is “Zero Hunger”, which aims to achieve food security, improve nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.
The goal is to end world hunger by 2030, and happily we’re on our way. Despite a 1.9 billion increase in the world’s population since 1990-92, there are 216 million fewer hungry people.
That’s great news, but there is still much to do and the change can start with you.
Here’s just a small handful of ways you can help.
#1. Learn to cook!
Eating at home reduces food waste and you can eat the leftovers for lunch.
#2. Eat seasonally and locally
Support local producers and reduce your carbon footprint by eating food that’s in season and grown regionally.
#3. Make a shopping list
Plan your meals ahead so there’s no impulse shopping, reducing waste and saving cash at the same time.
#4. Go fair-trade
Because sustainability is about people, too. Fair-trade ensures that farmers are treated justly and paid fairly for their work.
#5. Buy sustainably caught seafood
Purchase Marine Stewardship Council-certified seafood and demand it from your fishmonger if it’s not available.
Want to reduce food waste, but not sure how to do it?
Then sign up for the Give Food Waste the Flip programme out of Australia. Choose one of three ways to get involved then receive weekly emails with a mission to complete in your kitchen. The idea is to help you reform your ways, shrink your bin and save money – all while helping the planet.
Want to get more involved?
Check out the Responsible Business Forum (RBF) on Food & Agriculture 2018 in Jakarta on 27-28 March. Expat Living readers can enjoy a 20 percent discount on tickets by using the code “EXPLIVRBFJKT18D” at responsiblebusiness.com.
*Statistics provided by World Food Programme
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This article first appeared in the March 2018 edition of Expat Living. You can purchase a copy or subscribe so you never miss an issue!
