Do you have leftover food in your refrigerator? Did you cook too much food? Did you realize that the product is expired? What do you do? What percentage of food do we throw out? Do you feel uncomfortable about it? You are not alone.

Food waste reduction in numbers

• Food loss in the world amounts to approximately 1.7 billion tons per year, 30% more than previous estimates.
• 2.6 million tons of food are wasted in Israel, 50% of which are edible for humans.
• Israel ranks second among all OECD countries in the quantity of food that is thrown away every year.
• Approximately 23.1 billion in food is thrown away in Israel in 2022.
• The total loss of food in all stages of the value chain is equivalent to approximately NIS 689 per month per household in Israel.
• 1773 tons of fruit and vegetables are thrown away each year.
• The average Israeli household discards approximately 14% of food expenses - meaning the average family in Israel throws away food equivalent to approximately NIS 4,000.
• 23% of vegetables and fruits are thrown away.

Why are these numbers problematic?

• The environmental cost of food loss in Israel in 2002 is estimated at approximately NIS 3.9 billion.
• 6% of greenhouse gas emissions in Israel is attributed to food loss.
• Our goal is to reduce food loss per person by 50% by 2030.

Most importantly – what can be done?

Food waste in Israel can be reduced by several simple measures:

• Planning and an organized shopping list: will help us save money and eat healthier. Before going to the supermarket, prepare a shopping list.
• Expiration dates: pay attention to the expiration dates of products.
• Only buy food in the quantities you need, avoid over-buying.
• Cook smaller quantities.
• Freeze food to save them for a longer period.
• Properly organize the refrigerator: put new products in the back and the older products in the front.
• Try to use all parts of the vegetables: use vegetable peels to make vegetable stock.
• Begin with small meals: when we "eat with our eyes", we take overly large portions. Reduce portions and use smaller plates. It still leaves the option of returning to take seconds.
• Look for recipes for food made of leftovers. There are many creative ideas, such as:
  
  • From leftover bread – croutons can be made in the oven.
  • Leftover vegetables that were cooked but not eaten can be used to make a quiche or patties.
  • Leftover chicken from yesterday’s meal can be used to prepare a chicken salad.
• Donate to those in need.

What do we get out of this?

• We eat fresh, healthy food.
• We waste less money.
• We protect the planet.

In recent years, a new concept entered our lives – reduction of food waste, which has, apparently, become a real problem in Israel, but not only. Food waste is a global problem with tremendous environmental and social impacts that cause numerous social, economic and environmental damage.

Holiday meals with the family, birthdays, preschool meetings and essentially any celebratory event or social gathering that we attend includes eating. Yes, even during the week of mourning. Every event is an opportunity to eat.
A culture of abundance leads to a tremendous waste of food.

While the average Israeli family throws away food valued at NIS 4000 per year, thousands of families in Israel suffer from food insecurity (according to figures published by Leket Israel and the National Insurance Institute).

Food that is thrown away is not just a waste of money

Food waste is directly linked to the accelerated climate crisis: it causes unnecessary waste of precious natural resources such as land, water and energy that are invested in the cultivation, packaging, manufacturing and preparation of food that is ultimately not used!

Every family wastes a significant amount of money! For the average family, this translates into the monthly loss of thousands of shekels that are thrown to the trash, literally and figuratively! Food, and particularly healthy food, such as fruits and vegetables, is a precious resource that we must include in our diet, particularly when thousands of families in Israel suffer from poverty and food insecurity.
The Swords of Iron War has negatively impacted the disadvantaged populations in the country, increasing food insecurity in two levels:

1. Decreased volume of food that can be saved due to damage to local agriculture:
   Approximately 30% of the agricultural land in Israel is located near the frontlines, and as a result less agricultural products are available, more food is lost and critical damage is caused to farmers and the agricultural sector.
2. Worsening food security due to a surge in the prices of agricultural products and a decrease in the standard of living:
   
   • Increase in the prices of fruits and vegetables by dozens of percent.
   • Decrease in market growth – damage to the purchasing power.

Food insecurity is largely reflected in the selection of less expensive food, which, for the most part, includes limited quantities of food groups that are critical to a healthy diet: vegetables, fruit, whole grains and legumes. As a result, we may see more obesity and related morbidity.

The excess health cost to the economy from food insecurity in Israel in 2022 was NIS 5.2 billion, which is approximately 5% of the national health expenditures. An increase in the number of people who are unable to consume healthy food due to rising prices and a shortage of agricultural products will result in a further increase in the health expenditures in Israel.

How can we protect the health of our environment?

Food production requires the use of resources: land, water, fertilizers, chemicals and energy, all of which are not renewable. Food waste is essentially a waste of these resources.

The environmental cost of food loss in Israel in 2022 is estimated at NIS 3.9 billion, of which NIS 1.5 billion were lost due to unnecessary loss of land and water, NIS 1.5 billion due to greenhouse gas emissions (food waste causes approximately 6% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the world), and NIS 0.9 billion were spent on waste treatment.

Food waste is directly linked to the acceleration of the climate crisis

As previously mentioned, food waste causes unnecessary waste of precious natural resources. In other words, the greater the food waste – the greater its contribution to global warming!

Food loss has an environmental impact not only due to the excess production of food and the consumption patterns, coupled with the loss of natural resources and emission of pollutants, but also because of the way food is handled after it is discarded. The treatment of food after it has been thrown away, and burning of food in particular, results in additional environmental impact.

34% of home waste in Israel is organic and originates in food. Most waste in Israel is shipped for burial, which has multiple negative environmental impacts. It requires broad areas of land, and as a result less land is available in Israel.
50% of the environmental damage is caused by food discarding. Animal source food (meat, eggs, fish) causes the most significant environmental impact.

So how do you protect the environment by eating greener?

• Reduced consumption of animal source food.
• Reduced use of plastic packages and bottles.
• Reduced consumption of ultra processed food and beverages
• Increased consumption of plant-based, local, seasonal and raw or minimally processed food.
• Implementation of the advice mentioned in this article.