Italy Among virtuous Nations Against Food Waste

How much food do we waste every year?  The BCFN foundation invites us to reflect, on the occasion of the Italian National Day Against Food Waste, held on February 5, every year.

Across the world, food waste costs 750 billion euros per year, that is almost twice the Italian GDP for 2017. This figure is even scarier if we translate it into kilograms. Focusing on Italy, we discover that household waste "weighs" 145kg per person each year, which is equivalent to 1,000 small apples (100g each) or 1,500 pasta dishes (circa 100g ) or just under 750 tinned beans (200g tins), much more than the average consumption of a 3-member household. But waste does not just come from households.

In Italy, the fruits and vegetables binned by retailers waste over 73 million cubic meters of water (used to produce them), that is 36.5 billion 2-liter bottles. According to the Food Sustainability Index, the research developed by The Economist Intelligence Unit with BCFN, Italy is scoring significantly in its fight against food waste, and with the help of national policies against industrial food loss and waste, such as the Gadda Law, it is 4th in the ranking of virtuous countries tackling food loss and waste.

1) Make a reasoned list: before shopping, check what you really need, make a list - and stick to it - remember that wasting food means wasting money

2) When you are cooking, keep an eye on quantities and only cook what you can eat

3) Check your labels: always monitor the 'eat before' dates

4) When storing food in the fridge, put the short-life food in front and store in the freezer what you are not likely to eat soon

5) Recipes against food waste: don't bin leftovers and food waste, they can become new creative dishes