Did you know that supermarkets frequently turn away produce for looking a little wonky? They do! And it's a major cause of food waste. At Good & Fugly, we’re on a mission to change that by bringing rejected but good quality, produce from local farmers straight to your home.
But why is there so much food waste, and why is this an important issue to tackle? Let’s take a look at the journey your food takes from farm to fridge.
Feeding people around the world takes up a ton of resources and energy
Worldwide, livestock use 30% of Earth’s entire land area–including pastures to grow grain to provide feed. Factor in the land use for growing vegetables, and you’ll realise that’s a lot of land! And that’s only the beginning. Other resources that are required to get food to your local supermarket include copious amounts of water. Water goes into growing the grains that feed livestock, the drinking troughs, cleaning the pens, growing vegetables and is even an integral part of coffee farming, helping you to be awake for your 7am meeting!
Did you know: that throwing away one burger wastes the same amount of water as a 90 minute shower!
You’d be surprised by the amount of greenhouse gases that are produced
Cows emit methane gas as they eat and grow, which has more than 20 times more climate-changing power than CO2. While other livestock and vegetables don’t produce methane, the faeces and fertiliser covering the land often end up in runoffs and pollute nearby water sources. Nitrogen is found in most fertilisers that can pollute water sources, making them unliveable for aquatic life. And the nitrous oxide created in making the fertiliser is almost 300 times more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide and it depletes the ozone layer!
What happens to the food once it’s deemed “waste”?
When food is thrown into the garbage bin, it then makes its way to landfill where its carbon footprint only gets larger. As food rots, it releases methane, a toxic gas, into the atmosphere. Moreover, landfills are increasingly becoming a problem as there is less and less space each year to throw waste away.
While all this might seem overwhelming, there are many ways to combat food waste! Instead of buying more than you need and adding to the problem, you can reduce food waste by enjoying a weekly Good & Fugly box. Good & Fugly portions have just the right amount of fruit and veg for your household, so you no longer have to worry about creating waste. Check out our boxes here!
Interested in other ways you can combat waste? Why not transform leftovers into meals, start composting, or get creative with your leftovers and turn coffee grounds into a face scrub
