Ireland needs to “do more” in terms of food loss and waste, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, has urged.
Today (Sunday, September 29) is the United Nation’s fifth International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste which highlights that this contributes to an estimated 8 to 10% of global greenhouse gas GHG emissions.
Methane gas produced by food loss also has far greater potential to trap heat than carbon dioxide, impacting the environment.
Recent statistics from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggest that 750,000 tonnes of food is wasted in Ireland – which equates to 146kg of food waste per person with an estimated annual cost of €700 to the average household.
Minister McConalogue
Minister McConalogue has urged consumers and food businesses to act to reduce food loss and waste.
“Here in Ireland, thanks to the constant innovation and dedication of our agricultural community, we are consistently ranked amongst the most food secure nations in the world, but in terms of food loss and waste, we need to do more.
“When we waste food, these key resources also go to waste. Wasting food is costing each of us money as well as being bad for the environment,” he added.
The minister is encouraging food businesses to sign up to the EPA Food Waste Charter which involves a commitment to monitor, reduce and track their food waste.
Last week MyWaste.ie – an initiative of the Regional Waste Management Planning Offices – launched a new national awareness campaign, ‘Take a minute, before you bin it’.
It highlights that food waste is the “most misplaced item” closely followed by soft plastics.
A key message from the campaign is that food waste, paper and plastic packaging that end up in the general waste bin are “valuable resources lost to the economy and society”.