Based on the food waste index report from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) in 2021, household waste is the largest contributor, with 569 tonnes per year of 2019, followed by food services and other services. Indonesia is the country with the 2nd largest food waste in the world.
From several studies conducted, it was revealed that more than 60% of the waste was “donated” by Surabaya and Bogor and came from food. Therefore, food waste is an urgent issue that must be addressed.
To increase public awareness about food wasting, UniversitasIndonesia (UI) through the Board of Professors (DGB) held a webinar entitled “Food for All: Raising Awareness of Food Waste in Indonesia”, on Wednesday (29/11). This activity aimed to provide education about the food wasting phenomenon which is currently being carried out by many people.
Chairman of DGB UI, Prof. Harkristuti Harkrisnowo, said that this webinar not only discussed food waste, but also reviewed smart ideas that can be followed up. “We will be enriched with a deeper understanding and a set of practical solutions that can be applied in communities, organizations and everyday life,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Head of the National Food Agency, Arif Prasetyo Adi, M.T., said that this activity was important because efforts to prevent food waste in Indonesia require the synergy of various parties, including academics. He hoped that this event can bring great benefits to all parties, especially in the preparation of food rescue policy designs that lead to strengthening food and nutrition security. “Of course, this activity is one step towards a strong sovereign Indonesian food, prosperous farmers, profitable traders, and happy citizens,” said Arif.
In the webinar, UI presented several speakers, namely Professor at the UI Faculty of Engineering, Prof. Paramita Atmodiwirjo; Lecturer from UI Faculty of Psychology, Dr. Ratna Djuwita, Psychologist; Founder of Food Bank of Indonesia, Muhammad Hendro Utomo, MBA; and Professor at the UI Faculty of Public Health, Prof. Bambang Wispriyono. The four speakers discussed the causes of food wasting behavior in society and the appropriate steps to handle it.
According to Dr. Ratna, food waste is a result of human behavior, thus it falls within the scope of environmental psychology. Food waste behavior has the potential to turn leftover food into a pile of rubbish or food waste. Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, if someone wants to change food waste behavior, it can be seen from the intention to reduce it. This is driven by attitudes towards intentions, self-norms or social expectations, as well as perceptions of the ability to prevent food waste.
“There are various activities that can be carried out to maintain the sustainability of food waste prevention, such as socialization, as well as setting policies by providing mini food banks, namely activities to collect and distribute food to prevent food gaps. It is hoped that these efforts can reduce food waste, especially that generated in the campus environment,” said Dr. Ratna.
To prevent food waste, Prof. Paramita also mentioned several steps that could be implemented. SHe quoted The Urban Food System Approach’s explanation of how food goes through long stages, from production, distribution, consumption, until food waste is thrown away. “Food waste can be prevented if consumers consider several things before buying it, such as how long food can be stored, how many portions of food are needed, and whether the packaging can be recycled. Apart from that, consumers must manage food storage so that it does not become waste,” she said.
Hendro fully supports food waste prevention. According to him, reducing food waste can encourage human life to be more sustainable and fair. The Food Bank organization he leads is one of the social elements that supports a sustainable food system. It represents a “triple-win” in their community, namely reducing food waste and protecting the environment; providing food aid to hungry people; and strengthening communities through the support of local humanitarian agencies.
However, people must be more careful in their consumption activities because food waste is not only related to food products, but also non-food products, such as product packaging which is difficult to recycle. Prof. Bambang explained that food waste is divided into three, namely not avoidable waste (cannot be avoided in the consumption chain), facultative avoidable waste (occurs due to different consumer habits), and avoidable waste (can be avoided through food waste processing, such as composting programs, and etc). Therefore, further understanding is needed regarding the management of various types of food waste.
Author: Nabila/ Thasya/ Ammara | Editor: Sasa
