Pic: UN
Faizel Patel – 29/09/2020
As the world acknowledges International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction, the United Nations says actions are required globally and locally to maximize the use of the food we produce.
The theme for this year’s observance is “Stop food loss and waste. For the people. For the planet.”
The UN says given that between 30 and 40 percent of the world’s food supply goes to waste each year, the issue is a social, moral and even economic one.
It says reducing food loss and waste requires the attention and actions of all, from food producers, to food supply chain stakeholders, to food industries, retailers and consumers.
Yesterday, Gift of the Gift founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman told Radio Islam about incidents in the Eastern Cape where people are so hungry and with the scarcity of food money, people are resorting to eating cats and dogs and even waiting for the rubbish truck to arrive so they can scavenge something to curb their hunger pangs.
As part of the campaign which is acknowledged annually on 29 September, Radio Islam is also sharing an Islamic perspective on appreciating food and stopping the waste of food.
Morning drive presenter and programmes manager Ml Sulaimaan Ravat says people need to be conscious about the wastage of food.
“It’s not something that’s exclusive to be discussed only on International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Food Waste, it’s something that we need to be conscious of all the time. Just take a look at how much we waste, we allow our children to waste and we need to be careful in that regard. Generally, totally clean your plate, lick whatever is left on your fingers; Even if there was no scarcity of food in the world, that’s the right thing to do, you are showing an appreciation for the bounties and blessings of Allah and whatever Allah has given you, you are taking full benefit of it, you are not letting it go to waste.”
The UN says the introduction of technologies, innovative solutions (including e-commerce platforms for marketing, retractable mobile food processing systems), new ways of working and good practices to manage food quality and reduce food loss and waste are key to implementing this transformative change.
Listen to the discussion by Ml Sulaimaan Ravat
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