Wisdom & Knowledge - Chapter 2 : Saving Food; Saving Lives

One of the biggest questions we need to be asked today is “Do I have the sole right on the usage of a resource just because I can afford it?” Subconsciously most of us feel – Yes, why not. Now allow me to rephrase “Does my ability to afford something give me the right to waste it?” In most cases we don’t even realise how unknowingly we sometimes forget the importance yet scarcity of many things just because we have an easy access to them. Say single side used paper, you can use it for rough work, self-notes, a compost or to an artistic mind as an art project. But a problem bigger than this is food. Ironically, despite being a self-sufficient country with enough production to fulfil the demands of 1.3 billion, nearly 1 in every 8 person sleeps hungry each night. I am not saying here that you are the cause for it, but the fact that you have the power to be a part of the solution (not the homogeneous mixture of two or more substances). Nearly 25% of food goes to waste even before it reached shops or supermarkets due to logistics or packaging issue; that’s a factor which maybe beyond you. But the remaining 75% is where you can kick in:

1. Don’t overbuy or stock things with small shell life like milk or fruits. Buy them cyclically as per your consumption.
2. Don’t order food at a restaurant unless you feel you can finish it. Confirm the ingredients before you order in case you are not sure and ask them to leave out things you won’t consume.
3. Be cautious of the quantity you pour in your plate. Uneaten food can be shared with many.
4. Take small servings at once in your plate; it’s been psychologically proven that if you are more likely to fulfil your hunger in a smaller amount of food if you go for multiple servings.
5. Donate uneaten food to a NGO or charity near you from a house party or celebration.
6. If you have a garden at home, use a small compost pit to produce your own organic manure.
7. Educate the people around you on how they can do their part. Don’t be afraid to point out someone wasting food.

These are perhaps some of the most basic things we all can contribute to and if you want a little more incentive to do it, imagine how much money you would save by these small steps; talk about dual benefits.

And it’s not that we do these things purposely, but it’s something we should work towards avoiding. There are multiple charities, NGOs across India (Robinhood Army, Feeding India, Akshaya Patra) working towards the goal of providing food to all, you can volunteer for them maybe in form of physical presence or in form of resources. While working with these organizations or independently we need to make sure that the food we deliver is also nutritious enough to fulfil average body needs. 68% of deaths in children below the age of 5 years in India are due to child or maternal malnutrition, so yes nutritious food is more important than providing just food. And in case you are wondering if your small effort would count out there or not, around 67 million tonnes of food is wasted in India every year which is valued close to 92000 crores; enough to feed all of Bihar for one year. An average person needs close to 600 gms of a well-balanced diet on a daily basis, so yes every small step you take matters. To quote Mother Teresa “If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.”