UNS — Iftar during Ramadan becomes an awaited moment after a whole day of fasting. Most of us prepare food in large amounts and variety to satisfy our thirst and hunger. However, those foods are often wasted, which leads to a great food waste amount that contributes to environmental damage. This consumption pattern does not only occurs during Ramadan, thus making Indonesia ranked second as the greatest food waste produced in the world.
Dian Rachmawati Afandi, S.TP., M.P., a lecturer of the Faculty of Agriculture (FP) Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta, explains that food waste includes all parts of edible food but was dumped. Hence, it is different from food loss, which refers to the loss of food stock due to various reasons. Dian mentions a number of actions that creating food waste, namely, first leaving unwanted food or due to overly big portion of food served.
“A common act happens in a restaurant is people think as long as they can pay they can order as much food they want, which end up inedible. The next is buying too much product or food stock,” explains Dian in a Webinar of Menu Management and Food Waste organized by ISNet, Saturday (1/5/2021). Further, Dian also explains the differences between best before date and expired status in food product packaging. When an ‘expired’ date is printed on the packaging, it means the food is not allowed to be consumed after the date. However, if the ‘best before’ term is printed, the food is still consumable but will have a lower quality.
Food waste also increased because of the practice implemented by the retail market that discards vegetables and fruits with unfavorable looks. This practice also happens in supermarkets or shops. Unsold merchandise becomes the fifth reason for food waste, while the sixth reason is the food processing that creates edible leftovers.
How to Reduce Food Waste?
The first is by planning what to buy to avoid over-buying food. The second is to prepare a food menu based on the available stuff at home while implementing the first-in, first-out (FIFO) principle. This method will help us to avoid forgetting the stored foodstuff. The third is by buying ingredients that can be consumed immediately and can be stored in the freezer for a short time. Fourth, storing food properly to maintain its quality and durability. Fifth, place perishable foodstuffs at a visible spot.
“Prepare a reuseable food container when you are dining outside to wrap the leftovers food. Do not feel ashamed. This condition is better than wasting the still edible food. We can also grow our empathy by sharing food with other neighbors. These sharing options have various channels available such as GIFOOD and GARDA PANGAN,” Dian states.
Considering the various steps mentioned to reduce food waste, there is one action that is usually forgotten by most people, namely, take enough food and adjust our portions. This action should be applied, especially during this Ramadan. Thus, avoid creating more food waste after iftar. Good luck! Humas UNS
Reporter: Kaffa hidayati
Editor: Dwi Hastuti