According to the latest publications of the Finnish press, in Finland about 400 million kg of food are thrown into the waste every year. The share of individual households in this volume is 120 - 160 million kg, which corresponds to approximately eight thousand truck wagons. In monetary terms, this amount of food is estimated at half a billion euros.
The least prudent of food are residents of Helsinki and its environs. In the metropolitan area, even unopened food packaging is often thrown into the waste. Their share in the total volume of discarded products reaches 15 percent.
Most often vegetables get into garbage cans - 22 million kg annually. The waste of food cooked at home is 21 million kg. Dairy products are emitted in the amount of 20 million kg. The amount of discarded bread is 12 million kg. Fruits and berries are thrown in the same volume. Meat, fish and eggs are turned into garbage in the amount of 11 million kg.
A Finnish family of four spends about 500 euros annually to buy food, which is then turned into waste.
It is alleged, and it’s hard to argue that the production of “excess” food, which then gets into the garbage, serves as an additional unjustified burden for the environment.
After all, agricultural and food production needs land and water. It is a source of various harmful waste polluting the soil, water and atmosphere. It is estimated that the production of food thrown into the garbage by consumers leads to the formation of such an amount of carbon dioxide, which is produced in a year by 100 thousand cars.
Specialists develop certain recommendations, the observance of which should lead to a decrease in the mass of products that are turned into waste.
In particular, they advise to go to the store for groceries only when it is really necessary, because almost always in the refrigerator you can find something from which you can cook dinner.
In order not to buy excess food, before going to the supermarket it is recommended to look in the refrigerator and make a list of what you really need to purchase.
Do not be tempted by the price discounts associated with a large number of purchased products, if this product is perishable.
Fruits are best bought by weight rather than in packaging, because it may contain spoiled or moldy fruits.
It makes sense to place perishable products in the refrigerator in the most visible place, so as not to forget about them.
Particularly noteworthy is the advice regarding the period of consumption of the product indicated on its packaging. A mark of this kind can have two meanings. In one case, she, as it were, recommends using the product until a certain day. Finnish Parasta ennen (Better before). This mark indicates the period during which the product retains its inherent properties. If the product is outside the specified date, then this does not mean that it is certainly harmful or hazardous to health. In this situation, it is necessary to use the senses: vision, smell, and also taste buds.
In another case, the mark indicates the last day of use: Viimeinen käyttöpäivä.
This means that this product must be eaten before the specified date. Later, microbiological changes that are difficult to detect can occur in it. In such a situation, the consumption of an expired product can be harmful to health or spoil your well-being.
The date of the last day of use is applied to products stored in vacuum packaging or in packaging using protective gases. It is also available on packages of meat and broilers.
In total, in Finnish home kitchens, 10-15 percent of all food consumed goes to waste. In restaurants, the situation is even less comforting. About twenty percent of restaurant food is thrown into the trash.
The struggle for respect for food is being waged today, above all, under the sign of environmental protection. This is understandable.
You just need to remember that environmental pollution will inevitably take place as long as humanity exists. Of course, unnecessarily unreasonable overproduction of any product, including food, should be avoided. But it is necessary to understand that modern man is difficult to change.
In the current high level of production, people behave accordingly. They relate to food, as they are used to relate to what is in excess. The upbringing and implementation of an appropriate culture of behavior can change something for the better. Nevertheless, a drastic change is unlikely to happen. It is possible only in conditions when food becomes scarce. Then everyone begins to relate to food extremely carefully.
But hardly anyone wants to live in conditions of lack or limited food. This is much worse than a careless attitude towards her. Limited products entail a lot of negative consequences: increased speculation, crime, morbidity, etc.
Therefore, urging people to be careful, and to protect the environment, it is not necessary on this basis to exert psychological or other pressure on the consumer, and, moreover, to adjust the level of food production, as well as, by the way, do not passionately refuse cars or airplanes. The consequences of such hasty actions can be much more tangible and more rapid than the consequences of environmental changes.
