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Overview

Approximately half the food produced in this world goes to waste every year because of various reasons.

According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, developed countries waste more than 1.3 thousand of million tons of food every year, which is enough to feed 925 million people that are starving worldwide.

This waste is not only unethical but also has environmental consequences. This is especially true as it involves the unnecessary use of resources used in its production (like soil, energy, and clean water) and the emission of carbon dioxin and methane resulting from the decomposition of food that is not eaten and is left to rot.

The reasons of such food waste are numerous and it takes place along all the links of the food supply chain. Intensive production models, inadequate storage and transportation, expiration dates that are too tight and sales and discounts that encourage consumers to buy unreasonably are some of the causes that contribute to the current level of waste.

One other problem is that major distributors have a preference for fruit and vegetables that are “perfect” in terms of shape, colour and size, which ultimately restrict the consumption of only foods that meet certain aesthetic standards. Such demand results in a waste of about 30% of what’s produced by farmers. Altough it is possible to sell these ugly products to the Industry (juices, jams, sauces), this is not an economically viable solution for the farmers, since the price paid for the products is so low that most times it doesn't pay off the costs of production and harvest.

FoodsSave arises from the need to salvage such naturally mishapen food, which is good for consumption and is usually discarded having nothing to do with both their quality and safety. This project aims to change consumption patterns and creating an alternative market for the buying and selling of “ugly” fruits and vegetables. A market that cherishes the values of farmers and consumers.

Statisticss to Consider

Note: The below stats are taken from IBM Call for Code Zero Hunger Starter Kit

  • The number of undernourished people reached 821 million in 2017. (UNDP)
  • In 2017, Asia accounted for nearly 2/3 or 63% of the world’s hungry. (UNDP)
  • Nearly 151 million children under age 5, 22 percent, were still stunted in 2017. (UNDP)
  • More than 1 in 8 adults is obese. (UNDP)
  • 1 in 3 women of reproductive age is anemic. (UNDP)
  • 26% of workers are employed in agriculture. (UNDP)
  • Every year, 3 million children die due to malnutrition. (UNICEF)
  • Current estimates are that nearly 690 million people are hungry, or 8.9% of the world population – up by 10 million people in one year and by nearly 60 million in five years.
  • The majority of the world’s undernourished – 381 million – are still found in Asia. More than 250 million live in Africa, where the number of undernourished is growing faster than anywhere in the world.
  • In 2019, close to 750 million – or nearly 1 in 10 people in the world – were exposed to severe levels of food insecurity.
  • An estimated 2 billion people in the world did not have regular access to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food in 2019.
  • If recent trends continue, the number of people affected by hunger will surpass 840 million by 2030, or 9.8% of the global population.
  • In 2019, 6.9% (or 47 million) children under 5 were affected by wasting, or acute undernutrition, a condition caused by limited nutrient intake and infection.

Hidden hunger is common in “developed” nations.

  • The prevalence of household food insecurity is relatively high in some developed countries, ranging from 8% to 20% of the population (NCBI)
  • An estimated 60 million people or 7.2% of the population in high-income countries used food banks in 2013. (NCBI)
  • Nearly 15% of U.S. households — more than 40 million Americans, including 12 million children — struggle to put food on the table. (Bread for the World)
  • There are more than 1 in 5 U.S. children at risk of hunger (1 in 3 among African-American and Latino children) (Bread for the World)
  • In the U.S., more than half of American children do not get enough vitamins D and E, while more than one quarter are lacking in calcium, magnesium, or vitamin A. (FSI)

Targets of UN Sustainable Goal #2

Note: The below stats are taken from IBM Call for Code Zero Hunger Starter Kit

End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.

  • By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular the poor and people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious, and sufficient food all year round.
  • By 2030, end all forms of malnutrition, including achieving, by 2025, the internationally agreed upon targets on stunting and wasting in children under 5 years of age, and address the nutritional needs of adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women, and older persons.
  • By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular, women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists, and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets, and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment.
  • By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production; that help maintain ecosystems; that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters; and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
  • By 2020, maintain the genetic diversity of seeds, cultivated plants, and farmed and domesticated animals and their related wild species, including through soundly managed and diversified seed and plant banks at the national, regional, and international levels, and promote access to and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge, as internationally agreed.
  • Increase investment, including through enhanced international cooperation, in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and extension services, technology development, and plant and livestock gene banks to enhance agricultural productive capacity in developing countries, in particular, least developed countries.
  • Correct and prevent trade restrictions and distortions in world agricultural markets, including through the parallel elimination of all forms of agricultural export subsidies and all export measures with equivalent effect, in accordance with the mandate of the Doha Development Round.
  • Adopt measures to ensure the proper functioning of food commodity markets and their derivatives and facilitate timely access to market information, including on food reserves, to help limit extreme food price volatility.

How technology can help

Technology can help by offering a channel such as a web app to connnect farmers directly to conusmers who are willing to pay for the ugly fruits and veggies that normally goes to waste at a reduced price. Through the web app, farmers can post what produce are available and when, where, and how to pick up. Thus, a new pattern of consumption emergenes that encourages the preservation of ugly produce instead of direct discarding as food waste.

Additional Readings

Note: The below stats are taken from IBM Call for Code Zero Hunger Starter Kit