Food waste is an emergency environmental problem and threatens the safety of the earth. This problem is also a concern in Indonesia and requires a good food waste management solution. How could it not be, Indonesia is the country that contributes the fourth largest food waste in the world, reaching 20.93 million tons per year. This type of waste makes up around 40 percent of the total waste in landfills. 

So, how serious are the impacts if food waste continues to pile up? Is there an effective food waste management solution? Let’s see it in full.

The Bad Impact of Food Waste 

Food waste is divided into two categories, namely left over and food waste. Waste from leftover food that is wasted due to excessive social culture is called left over. Whereas food waste is food waste that is wasted due to system or management errors, for example expired food or agricultural produce that is wasted due to pests.

These two categories both have serious impacts. Not only from an environmental perspective, but also from a food security perspective, here is the explanation. 

• Impact on the Environment

Rotting food waste will cause chemical reactions and release greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases are gases that can cause the greenhouse effect.

When the greenhouse effect occurs, the average temperature of the earth's surface will increase and make the atmosphere thinner. This will result in the weather on earth becoming hotter and more erratic.

According to World Research Institute (WRI), greenhouse gases produced from food waste reach 8% of total global emissions. Most of the gas produced is methane gas, this compound is known to be 25 times more dangerous than carbon dioxide in causing global warming. 

• Impact on Food Security

The waste that you throw away from food suitable for consumption turns out to have a big impact on food security. The large amount of food that is wasted will cause food availability to become increasingly thin.

If food security becomes vulnerable, then food prices will increase even more. This will make it difficult for people who are really struggling to get food to survive.

Tips for Reducing and Managing Food Waste 

Efforts to reduce the amount of food waste can be done by reducing and managing the waste wisely. Get to know tips for managing food waste from the production process (upstream), distribution (downstream), to the consumer level below.

• Production (Upstream) 

1. Careful production planning: Do in-depth research on how much food will be produced. Make sure the production quantity is in line with market demand so as to reduce unsold products. 

2. Stock management: Carry out efficient stock management in controlling inventory. This is to avoid possible waste such as expired or damaged food.

3. Make use of leftover production: Don't throw away leftover food from production, these results can be used as ingredients to produce other products or donated to humanitarian organizations.

• Distribution (Downstream)

1. Choose the right packaging: To make food products last longer, choose packaging that is sturdy but still environmentally friendly.

2. Efficient distribution channels: Deliver production results as efficiently as possible with fast routes and optimal technology. This is to prevent the food from getting stale and rotting quickly.

3. Food donation: Donate unsold products to people in need before they expire.

• Consumer

1. Education zero food waste: Lifestyle zero food waste or minimizing waste of food needs to be introduced. Educate people to be aware of buying and consuming food according to their capacity and needs without wasting it.

2.  manage food sisa: Leftover food can be managed into new dishes, or stored properly for later consumption.

3. Use food waste as compost: If it really can't be consumed, you can use the leftover food as compost.

Managing food waste can be more efficient and sustainable with the help of technology. The following is an example of using technology to manage food waste.

• Energy conversion tools: Waste can be managed and converted into renewable energy with the help of technology. 
• Waste decomposer: Technology using microorganisms and enzymes can break down food waste into organic material. Decomposed food waste can be used as fertilizer or compost.
• Applications and platform food waste manager: At the consumer level, various applications are available to prevent you from throwing away food waste. These include food donation applications, reselling leftover food, or setting a schedule for disposing of food waste, and so on.
• Educational facilities: Technological developments through internet access, digital campaigns, training online, and others can improve awarness community about the importance of reducing food waste. 

Efforts to reduce and manage food waste can be done easily using the tips above. Come on, live the lifestyle zero food waste and help preserve the earth.