The most sustainable meal is already in your fridge

Food wastage is a massive global issue that can be termed in three different ways — as an environmental crisis, an economic loss and a social irony.
The paradox of hunger is that, according to statistics, we currently produce enough food to feed 10 billion people, yet nearly 800 million go to bed hungry. The excess food produce is dumped into the sea by countries so the price is maintained. It is not just that; preserving it and storing it are all issues that make it an easier option for countries to dump the extra production.
In a world where people are going homeless and hungry, a report from the World Economic Forum in 2024 revealed that a shocking 15 per cent of fish and seafood in our food chain goes to waste.
Aquatic food is an important part of food security.
'The Investigating Global Aquatic Food Loss and Waste whitepaper finds that 23.8 million tonnes of edible aquatic food were lost or wasted in 2021,' stated the WEF report.
The report pointed out that the biggest sources of food loss and waste (FLW) come from processing on land and discards from wild-capture fishing (as opposed to fish farms), with each accounting for over a third of the total figure.
Waste is not a production problem; it's a distribution and valuation problem. And finally, it depends on what we do once it reaches us and we store it in our refrigerators.
Supply Chain Inefficiency: In developing nations, waste happens at the start of the chain (poor storage/cooling). In developed nations, it happens at the end (retail and plate waste).
Whether we like it or not, we are also into discriminating against the vegetables, and it is called the 'ugly produce bias.' We adapted the supermodel concept to our vegetables, too. We forgot that it is the nutritional value that matters and not the glossy appearance.
What is the end result?
Perfectly nutritious produce is often discarded before reaching shelves simply because it’s the wrong shape or colour. And the images we hold so closely to our hearts are often photoshopped. I know a person who makes fertile soil from the vegetable waste produced in the kitchen. I followed suit, and I now have a tomato plant growing in the pot. These are small and fun measures.
The reality is that we are bearing an invisible cost from an environmental perspective.
Experts point out the connection of methane and landfills.
According to them, food does not just 'biodegrade' cleanly in a landfill. It rots anaerobically, releasing methane — a greenhouse gas roughly 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
​In other words, when we throw away food, we are guilty of contributing to wasted resources. It has been a long process before the burger reached us — when we throw away a burger, we are not just wasting meat; we are wasting the thousands of litres of water it took to grow the grain, the fuel for transport and the land used for grazing. Not to forget farmers' efforts and time.
And you know what? If food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world. Now that is food for thought. Maybe this will make us look into our refrigerator once again to make sure we consume what we store and analyse what we are throwing out.
Once again, experts advise us to understand 'Best Before' vs. 'Use By': Much of domestic waste comes from a misunderstanding of labels — 'Best Before' is a quality suggestion; 'Use By' is a safety deadline. People often toss perfectly good food out of caution.
It is Ramadhan, and everyone makes sure they have all the essentials as they try to prepare dishes for Iftar and Suhoor.
Then there is the over-purchasing trap due to bulk buying and 'Buy One Get One Free' deals.
Analysts say the average household loses hundreds and at times thousands a year on food that goes straight to the bin. So could it be a 'waste tax' we pay ourselves?
I came across a hotel in town that practices the concept of Green Ramadhan. A local hotel uses AI technology to forecast the usage and wastage of food. To maintain zero wastage, it has tied up with Oman Food Bank so untouched food can be distributed within minutes, where there is no need to reheat. Halving the food loss and waste could reduce the emissions by 2.2 Gt CO₂e per year, says a poster at the venue, encouraging everyone to practice zero food wastage.