GS Mains Model Question & Answer : Why the issue of food wastage must be fully understood so that an effective strategy can be drawn up? Discuss. Comment

 GS Mains Model Question & Answer : Why the issue of food wastage must be fully understood so that an effective strategy can be drawn up? Discuss. Comment

Q. Why the issue of food wastage must be fully understood so that an effective strategy can be drawn up? Discuss. Comment

Model Answer:

Why the issue of food wastage must be fully understood so that an effective strategy can be drawn up? Discuss.

Reason:

Linking food wastage to people’s behavior.
Food perishability and the absence of an effective distribution mechanism and legal framework.
Ethical aspect of human nature of consumption of food item.

It has multiple socio economis and environmental impacts:
Social:
According to FAO , one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally.
In India , though hunger can not be tackled directly by preventing food wastage , a substantial amount of food that is wasted in our country can feed many hungry people.

Economical:
This loss represents a waste of resources used in production such as land , water , energy and inputs increasing the green gas emission in vain.
Also result in land degradation by about 45% mainly due to deforestation ,unsustainable agricultural practices and excessive ground water extraction.

Suggestion:
Legal frame work like in US(Bill emerson good Samaritan act) and France ( first country to ban supermarkets from destroying unsold food)forcing them to donate it to charities.
In india Govt is also taking measure like National food security Act .
India food banking network IFBN which is promoting the concept of collaborative consumption with support from the private sector and civil society organization.

Hunger and food wastage are the two sides of the coin.The cycle of hunger can not be broken without channelizing the wasted food to help the needy without stopping it . we can not do justice to millions of hungry people our economy and the planet.

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