Sustainability is a topic we hear a lot about these days. Global initiatives like the United Nations Goals for Sustainable Development encourage all of us to think about ways that we can help ensure that our home remains vibrant and viable. This week I came across a novel solution to food waste that might help with UN Objective 2, Gaspillez moins la nourriture et soutenez l’agriculture locale.

Photo by Christian West from Pexels [CC0]

A novel solution to food waste

Every year, over $1,000,000,000,000¹one trillion! worth of food – as much as one-third of all food produced – is wasted²UNEP; WFPUSA. “Le gaspillage alimentaire est défini comme toute nourriture destinée à la consommation humaine qui, à une étape de la chaîne alimentaire, est perdue, jetée ou dégradée.“³Food waste is defined as any food destined for human consumption that, at any stage of the distribution cycle, is lost, thrown away, or damaged.

With a goal of reducing food waste by half, France in 2016 was the first country in the world to legislate a broad set of laws aimed at reducing food waste. “Sa principale mesure consiste à obliger chaque supermarché de plus de 400 m² à rechercher un partenariat avec une association d’aide alimentaire pour lui céder ses invendus alimentaires, au lieu des les jeter ou de les détruire.”⁴The main measures require supermarkets larger than 400 m2 to seek out partnerships with food-based charities to give them unsold merchandise instead of throwing it out or destroying it.

While the law has had a positive impact, 33% of food waste happens during the phase de consommation⁵during consumption; in the home, representing 30 kg per person, per year including 7 kg of food thrown out still in it’s original packaging⁶Ministère de la Transition Écologique. The town of Saint-Cernin in the Cantal region of France has come up with their own novel solution called “Une poule à la maison“. The town administration made available a chicken for any of the inhabitants who were interested. Now over half of the town’s 300 homes has their very own poule who can not only consume as much as 150 kg of kitchen scraps a year but will also provide the home owners with des œufs!  Check it out here.

More deep thoughts from de la Rochefoucauld

168

L’esperance, toute trompeuse qu’elle est, sert au moins à nous mener à la fin de la vie par un chemin agréable.

174

Il vaut mieux employer notre esprit à supporter les infortunes qui nous arrivent qu’à prévoir celles qui peuvent arriver.

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  one trillion!
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  UNEP; WFPUSA
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  Food waste is defined as any food destined for human consumption that, at any stage of the distribution cycle, is lost, thrown away, or damaged.
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  The main measures require supermarkets larger than 400 m2 to seek out partnerships with food-based charities to give them unsold merchandise instead of throwing it out or destroying it.
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  during consumption; in the home
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  Ministère de la Transition Écologique
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  too much alcohol is bad for your health
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  You can catch her in the French film 8 Femmes … or see her dance in the video for the fun Mika song Elle me dit.
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  Click here to see the trailer.
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  dead drunk
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  drunk on love
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  drunk on happiness
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  There’s something charming (to me at least) about a book called “The small/little Larousse, large format! 😉