Environment Chief Calls Cut Down on Food Waste

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ramon Paje is calling on Filipinos to help cut down food waste and its corresponding ecological impact by developing habits that reduce the amount of food that goes to waste.

He said people can reduce their so-called “foodprint” by patronizing food produced in an environmentally sound manner such as those grown organically or packaged using recycled materials to lessen waste dumped into landfills that generate methane, a relatively potent greenhouse gas.

Paje further explained that organic food and locally-produced products “require less emissions-producing handling and transport to bring to our tables.”

“Many of us give very little regard on the entire chain from food production, which requires so many raw materials that are often sourced from the environment, up to food consumption, where waste is often detrimental to environmental health,” Paje said.

Paje made the call as the country celebrates Environment Month this June, kicking off with the observance of the World Environment Day on June 5 under the global theme, “Think. Eat. Save,” which is aimed at reducing food waste.

He underscored the need for every citizen to rethink his/her eating habits and be mindful of the way food is produced and consumed.

“Whenever possible, we should therefore be more selective in our food choices,” Paje said, urging the public to be “more environmentally-responsible consumers.”

The environment chief noted that “some types of food, like beef, take more resources to produce per kilogram, than others.”

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization has said that 1.3 billion metric tons of food is wasted every year. On a daily basis, a seventh of the world’s population “goes to bed hungry,” while more than 20,000 children under the age of five die from hunger.

“These are facts to keep in mind whenever we see food go to waste in farms, in markets, in kitchens, and on the table,” Paje said.

Paje said food production to feed the planet’s seven billion people uses a great deal of the earth’s resources, making it the single biggest driver of biodiversity loss.

“In pursuit of food, humanity devotes 70 percent of its freshwater consumption to food production, which also accounts for 80 percent of deforestation and 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions,” Paje said.

Meanwhile, the DENR has lined up numerous activities for this year’s Environment Month celebration and the agency’s 26th founding anniversary on June 10.

A week-long Organic/Eco-Friendly Products Festival featuring herbal, non-timber forest products and other similar items made from recycled, indigenous or environment-friendly materials started at the DENR central office in Quezon City on June 3.

On June 29, teachers and students of the National Service Training Program, in partnership with LGUs, communities and the private sector will conduct a simultaneous cleanup of more than 200 waterways nationwide which have been adopted under the DENR’s “Adopt-an-Estero/Water Body” program.

The DENR and the Department of Energy are also expected to sign this month a Joint Administrative Order setting the guidelines on proper waste management by the lighting industry.

The month of June was declared as Environment Month through Proclamation No. 237 of 1988, in support of the World Environment Day purposely “to instill environmental awareness and concern among various sectors of Philippine society.” (with PR)