Ramadan Mubarak to fellow Muslims!
I'm excited to observe this Ramadan with renewed intentions and setting better goals though one aspect I've been struggling with, is food waste and management. I'm sure many Muslims can relate to succumbing to our hunger at the end of day by overestimating how much food we want versus how much we actually need to satisfy that hunger.
There is an increasing concern about the amount of food wasted during this month despite the call for Muslims, through Quran and Hadith, to not waste food.
Based on The Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SW Corp) data on food waste, the amount of food wasted in Ramadan is 15 to 20 per cent higher than the average month.
In Brunei, it has been reported by the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation that an estimated 400 - 500 tonnes of waste everyday goes to Sungai Paku Landfill in Tutong. The average Bruneian generates around 1.4 kg of waste per day, 511 kg per year with 36% comprising mainly of food. Collectively, this means 180 tonnes of daily food waste quickly piling up the landfill and this could be even higher in Ramadan. The department has also reported that in 6 years, Sungai Paku Landfill will be completely used up.
Individuals are not solely accountable for these figures, supermarkets dispose their rotten vegetables and fruit at these landfills with up to $1000 worth or 1 kg (may vary) of waste per day as supermarkets have not yet found a way to implement composting practices that can cope with the large amount of fruits and vegetables.
Thus, when we talk about trying to feed the underprivileged and support SDG1 Zero Hunger, we often look to buying or producing more food but global hunger does not mean we are lacking food. In fact, the world is already producing enough food to nourish every man, woman and child on the planet. The problem lies in the wastage of food.
The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates the world produces enough food waste — about 1.4 billion tons — to feed as many as 2 billion people each year. That’s roughly one-third of the global food supply. This is the food that we prepare that gets spoiled or left uneaten right in our kitchens, in our own homes and at restaurants. Thus, global hunger is not caused by insufficient food production, it is caused primarily by food waste coupled with chronic poverty, conflict and a lack of resources.
This is why one of the targets under SDG12- Responsible Consumption and Production is to substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse. We need to educate our generation and future generations on better ways of disposing of food, paper and plastic while looking into alternatives to landfills.
Ramadan has always been synonymous to giving but it is also avoiding waste by eating and drinking in moderation. Let's do good and save food by practicing being mindful of our food consumption.
