| 35pc food on plate wasted: SQU study |
Staff Reporter
MUSCAT Thirty five per cent of food on the plate in a family in Oman is wasted on an average, according to a study conducted by Sultan Qaboos University (SQU).
The study by Esma Karim Al Balushi, student from the Department of Natural Resource Economics at SQU, stressed the need to reduce household food wastage, also called ‘plate waste’.
It identified several reasons for plate food waste at the household level in the Sultanate and suggested solutions. The waste included the weight of food served in the plate and left unconsumed, said a statement from the information section of SQU.
The average serving of food in households studied ranged from 250 to 600 grams for children and adults, respectively. The average plate waste ranged from 143 to 41 grams for children and adults, respectively. The highest percentage of food waste was 57 per cent, among one to five year olds. The lowest was seven, among adults over 40 years. Adolescents in the age group of six to 18 wasted about 56 per cent of food. The average family plate waste was 35 per cent by weight.
The study weighed food of each family member at two stages — served on plate and unconsumed — at lunch for a week. The family, which consumes food together, had 21 members, consisting of 10 males and 11 females, three of them aged one to five years, seven aged six to 18, nine aged 19 to 40 and two aged above 40 years.
Two male members and one female member had university education and all the others had completed schooling or were presently in school.
As per information of the Ministry of National Economy (2010), an average Omani family spends about 205 rials per month on food. There would be food waste from what is purchased to what is cooked. Food cooked has further cost of energy, labour and others related things.
Based on this data, the SQU has concluded that if it is assumed that waste before cooking is zero and that the level of food waste at each meal is the same as estimated, then an average Omani family would be wasting 70 rials per month as food waste.
According to the study, food consumption customs are changing from collective family consumption to individualised consumption. “The young and adolescent being unguided is wasting food. Some adults are in a hurry to eat food the youngest have got used to eating food while watching television and losing appetite. Often children were served more than what they could consume.
The study stressed the importance of closer parental guidance on food consumption habits of children, while educating them on the value of food.
Hemesiri Kotagama of the Department of Natural Resources Economics, who supervised Esma Balushi in her project, said education is one of the most effective and sustaining approaches to address the root cause of food waste and changing the attitudes of people towards reducing food waste.
The department is offering a course on ‘The World Food Problem’. The course is designed to build awareness and sensitise students on the socio-economic challenges and solutions to the world food problem, he said.
Kotagama said the study was modest in terms of scientific rigour and representativeness, yet it gave an idea about the magnitude of the problem and suggested need for more studies of plate waste and food waste all the way along the food supply chain.
The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) in a study titled ‘Global Food Losses and Food Waste’ estimates that one third of the world food production is lost and wasted. This comes to around 1.3 billion tonnes a year. In rich countries, the waste is closer to consumption and in poorer countries it is closer to production and processing sources.
Oman Tribune
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