International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste – 29 September

Food loss and waste is a global issue that affects every stage of the food system, from production and supply chains through to retailers, businesses and our own kitchens. 29 September was designated by the United Nations as an international awareness day in 2019, recognising the importance of reducing food loss and waste and making better use of the food we produce.

Food waste can sometimes be difficult to picture until it's translated into everyday ingredients. WRAP estimates that UK households throw away around 25 million slices of bread every day, alongside millions of whole potatoes, carrots, tomatoes and other foods. When you consider the resources, time and work involved in growing, producing and preparing our food, those numbers become even more significant.

Workplaces have a part to play too. Meetings, training days, office lunches and events often involve catering for groups of people, and it isn't always easy to judge exactly how much food will be needed. Nobody wants guests to go hungry, but unnecessarily over-ordering can mean perfectly good food is left uneaten.

Reducing waste doesn't have to mean offering less choice or compromising on hospitality. Having a good idea of how many people you're catering for, considering appropriate portion sizes and choosing a menu that suits the occasion can all help when deciding how much food to order.

It can also be as simple as thinking ahead. Knowing who's attending a meeting before placing the catering order, updating numbers when plans change and considering what is realistically going to be eaten can help avoid ordering significantly more than is needed.

Of course, food waste isn't something that can be solved by individuals or workplaces alone. Reducing food loss and waste requires action throughout the food system, including producers, suppliers, retailers, hospitality businesses and consumers. That's one of the reasons the United Nations chose to draw international attention to the issue.

For those of us who appreciate good food, perhaps the simplest message is also one of the most important: food has value. Every ingredient represents resources, time and effort, and making the most of the food we have is something we can all give a little more thought to.