The world produces more than one and a half times enough food it needs to feed the entire planet. Yet, in literally every corner of the world, people continue to go hungry. Is it just me, or does this seem incredibly messed up?
To be clear, the business of feeding the world’s people is a complicated one- it’s not simply a matter of production. Food must also be affordable and safe to eat. Agriculture production has to be prepared for weather related events, as well as armed conflict- since these types of events can interrupt production and delay distribution. Global citizens need to protect and support local farmers, particularly in the developing world, so that communities can enjoy culturally appropriate food and not have to rely on outside help to sustain themselves. Lastly, we should work to ensure that food is never wasted.
Fortunately, people across the world are united to achieve these goals. From local farmers, to civil society, to the private sector, more and more people are joining the movement to end world hunger as part of the wider mission of ending extreme poverty.
Case in point? Just this week, France pledged to crack down on food waste in supermarkets. According to the Guardian, the law bans “supermarkets destroying unsold food, instead obliging them to give it to charities or put it to other uses such as animal feed”.
Guillaume Garot, the brains behind the operation, had this to say about current conditions: “It’s scandalous to see bleach being poured into supermarket dustbins along with edible foods,” he said. Scandalous is right!
This isn’t the first time France has made headlines in this area. Last year, French supermarket Intermarché launched a campaign that also sought to put an end to food waste, but the giant chain took a different approach. The campaign, called “The Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables”, intended to incentivize shoppers to buy produce that would otherwise be discarded by farmers for superficial reasons by selling it at a discounted price. The campaign was a hit, and now other supermarkets are getting on board too, like the UK’s Asda.
The US is coming up with innovative solutions to food waste as well. Former Trader Joe’s president Doug Rauch had a crazy idea- why not collect and sell food that had has passed its “sell by” date at a reduced price so that all people can access nutritious foods? As it turns out, many dates marked “sell by” “best by” and “use by” are arbitrary, and don’t tell consumers when the food is actually unsafe to eat. To that end, he developed Daily Table, a not-for-profit retail store that serves a low-income community in Massachusetts. Two birds, one stone, solved. Genius.
Addressing food waste is just one tiny part of addressing global hunger; to truly feed the global population we’ll have to change all of the systems that keep people poor. However, these examples show that some of the best solutions are hiding right under our noses, and it’s up to us to connect the dots.