Food waste – why every bite counts

On September 29, the global focus will be on an issue that seems invisible at first glance, but has a huge impact on the environment, climate and food security: Food loss and food waste. The United Nations launched this day to draw attention to the urgency of using our resources more carefully. From agriculture to the domestic fridge, around a third of all food produced worldwide is lost every year – with serious consequences for the environment and for us.

The value chain

Food losses occur along the entire value chain – from harvesting, transportation and storage through to processing. In Germany, most of these losses occur in the private sector: Around 59% of avoidable food waste is generated in private households! This corresponds to an average of around 75 kilograms per person per year. That’s crazy, isn’t it? It’s not agriculture or production, it’s us who throw away the most food. It’s often perfectly good products that have simply been bought too much, stored incorrectly or disposed of prematurely. And I know from my own experience that as soon as you have children, food waste really increases.

Impact on the environment or why I should care

The impact is immense: every piece of food thrown away means wasted energy, water, working time and space. In addition, climate-damaging greenhouse gases are produced during disposal – especially in the case of organic waste. Food waste is responsible for up to 10% of man-made greenhouse gas emissions. And 60% of this happens in private households. And as much as 25% of fresh water is destroyed by food waste. So if you waste less food, you not only protect your wallet, but also make a very important contribution to a future worth living.

But how is that supposed to work?

Quite simply. Even small changes in everyday life can make a big difference:

• Check the best-before date: “Best before” does not mean “best before”.
• Plan your shopping: A shopping list helps you to buy only what you really need.
• Don’t go shopping hungry: If you go shopping hungry, you make spontaneous decisions and buy more than you need.
• Store correctly: Many foods last longer if they are stored optimally – e.g. fruit and vegetables separated by ethylene sensitivity. Pay attention to the climate zones in your fridge.
• Using leftovers: Creative leftover cooking prevents food waste and often results in new favorite dishes.
• Zero waste: you can eat much more than you think. For example, carrot or radish leaves. Even the thick stalk of broccoli tastes delicious when steamed. Incidentally, this is all fructose-free. You can find a recipe with radish herb in my new book.

The International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste reminds us that sustainable eating starts not only with choosing organic products, but also with valuing what we have already produced. Every plate we empty, every slice of bread that doesn’t end up in the bin and every meal we conjure up from leftovers is a small step towards a more resource-efficient future.

Sources

Nichols-Vinueza, A., Food Loss & Waste Reduction: Supporting a Circular Food Economy , WWF, 2021

German Environmental Aid (DUH). (n.d.). Stopping food waste. Retrieved August 15, 2025, from https://www.duh.de/informieren/landwirtschaft-und-ernaehrung/lebensmittelverschwendung-stoppen/

Buzby, J. (2022, January 24). Food Waste and its Links to Greenhouse Gases and Climate Change. U.S. Department of Agriculture. Retrieved August 15, 2025, from https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/blog/food-waste-and-its-links-greenhouse-gases-and-climate-change