Food.

Think
Eat Save

While one billion people still go to bed hungry, we Europe waste 30 percent of our food.
Think, Eat, Save is a newspaper Ad competition created in support of the UN Secretary-General’s Zero Hunger Challenge and in partnership with UNEP, FAO and the Nordic Council of Ministers.
Consumers, Food Industry and Government All Have Role to Play in Reducing 1.3 Billion tons of Food Wasted or Lost Each Year.

Think Eat Save - Reduce your Foodprint

The Think.Eat.Save campaign of the Save Food Initiative, is a partnership between UNEP, FAO and Messe Düsseldorf, and in support of the UN Secretary-General’s Zero Hunger Challenge, which seeks to add its authority and voice to these efforts in order to galvanize widespread global, regional and national actions, catalyze more sectors of society to be aware and to act, including through exchange of inspiring ideas and projects between those players already involved and new ones that are likely to come on board.

Ms. Thordis Claessen, graphic designer from Iceland has won the public vote in the Think.Eat.Save – Nordic Ad Competition on Food Waste.
The fifteen finalists in the competition, have now been selected and the winner will be announced on 4 October 2013.
1st prize in the competition is a 5,000 Euro cash prize, the Nordic Council of Ministers Award.
UNRIC, the United Nations Regional Information Centre in Brussels, organized the competition in collaboration with the Nordic Council of Ministers in support of the UNEP campaign Think.Eat.Save – Reduce your Foodprint.

The 15 finalists will be displayed in many European cities and used in the UNEP campaign, including at the award handover ceremony which takes place during an event organized by Think.Eat.Save partners, Stop Spild af mad, in Copenhagen, Denmark 4 October.
The competition received about 200 entries. In this competition, the UN called on creative people in the five Nordic countries, the Baltic States and the bordering regions of Russia to create an ad to raise awareness on the need to stop food waste.

Of the top 15 entries more than half or 8 came from Denmark, 2 from Estonia and Latvia, and 1 from Iceland, Russia and Sweden.
The following entries made the last fifteen:
Þórdís Claessen, the Public vote winner (Iceland)
Last wish (fries) and Last wish (carrots) by Marta Zarin-Gelze (Latvia)
Best before – good after by Petur Hansen (Denmark/Faroe Islands)
Farming of tomorrow (Paris) and Farming of tomorrow (Moscow) by Julus Harrebek (Denmark)
Eat responsibly by Troels Dahl Haulrich (Denmark)
Banana by Mette Harrestrup (Denmark)
Bin think by Niklas Hultquist (Denmark)
Not hungry? Someone is by Maria Kruuchek and Olga Stadnikova (Russia)
Most of your food flies away by Christer Lieberath (Sweden)
Would you trash her? (like you trash a wrinkled apple) by Rikke Mikkelsen (Denmark)
Reduce you foodprint by Lii Ranniku (Estonia)
Eat it or leave it by Asger Rasmussen (Denmark)
Check your basket (red) by Liisi Reitalu (Estonia)

You can see a gallery of the fifteen ads here: (Gallery Set):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/unric/sets/72157635295263149/

and here: (PhotoStream):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/unric/

Campaign Background

A recent study has revealed that about one third of all food production world-wide gets lost or wasted in the food production and consumption systems, amounting to 1.3 billion tonnes. In industrialized nations,  retailers and consumers discard around 300 million tonnes that is fit for consumption, around half of the total food squandered in these regions.  This is more than the total net food production of Sub-Saharan Africa and would be sufficient to feed the estimated 900 million people hungry in the world. (FAO)

What is food loss/waste all about?


Technically speaking, food loss and waste refer to the decrease in mass (quantitative) or nutritional value (qualitative) of food - edible parts - throughout the supply chain that was intended for human consumption. Food that was originally meant for human consumption but for various reasons is removed from the human food chain is considered as food loss or waste, even if it is then directed to a non-food use (feed, bio-energy).

  • Food Loss refers to food that gets spilled, spoilt or otherwise lost, or incurs reduction of quality and value during its process in the food supply chain before it reaches its final product stage. Food loss typically takes place at production, post-harvest, processing and distribution stages in the food supply chain.
  • Food waste refers to food that completes the food supply chain up to a final product, of good quality and fit for consumption, but still doesn't get consumed because it is discarded, whether or not after it is left to spoil. Food waste typically (but not exclusively) takes place at retail and consumption stages in the food supply chain.

What is the Food Waste Campaign all about?


The down side: food waste is a massive global problem that has negative humanitarian, environmental and financial implications.

The up side: with relative ease and a few simple changes to our habits, we can significantly shift this paradigm.

Many regional campaigns have recently been launched, echoing to the challenge of food waste at the national level and in major sectors, including hotels, restaurants, supermarkets and households. Perhaps surprisingly, one-third of all unused food in developed countries is wasted by households.

The Think.Eat.Save campaign of the Save Food Initiative, is a partnership between UNEP, FAO and Messe Düsseldorf, and in support of the UN Secretary-General’s Zero Hunger Challenge, which seeks to add its authority and voice to these efforts in order to galvanize widespread global, regional and national actions, catalyze more sectors of society to be aware and to act, including through exchange of inspiring ideas and projects between those players already involved and new ones that are likely to come on board. 

We offer the Think.Eat.Save website as a portal to showcase these ideas to provide a one-stop shop for news and resources, and to launch our call for everyone to take action on this global concern. 

THINK

Do you Waste Food?

Wasting food is often a subconscious act. You might think it's not something you do, but check out these facts and you'll realise there's so much food going to waste, some of it might actually be coming from you!


Why does it happen?
The main reasons for throwing away food are:

  • Your kids don’t always want to eat what you’ve cooked for them
  • Too much has been cooked or prepared eg pasta and rice all the time
  • It hasn’t been used in time - fruit and vegetables are a typical example because they’ve gone off in the fruit bowl or in the fridge
  • The food hasn’t been eaten before it goes past its use-by date (keep an eye on the 'best before' and 'use-by' dates. The 'best before' dates are more about quality than safety, except for eggs. So when the date runs out it doesn't mean that the food will be harmful, but it might begin to lose its flavour and texture).

There are all sorts of reasons why food might not get eaten in time:

  • Plans change.
  • We forget what food we have in the cupboards, forget to freeze or chill something to use at a later date.
  • We simply don’t know how best to use up our leftovers.

And what to do with leftover?

Why not give your leftovers a makeover?Making the most of leftovers is a great way to reduce food waste, so to help you with ideas our THINK.EAT.SAVE  partner  “Love Food Hate Waste”  have come up with a free leftover celebrity cookbook, just for you.

Is Food Waste Bad for the environment?

You bet! There are serious environmental implications to wasting food. The amount of food we throw away is a waste of resources. Just think about all the energy, water and packaging used in food production, transportation and storage. This all goes to waste when we throw away perfectly good food. Check out ourpages and find out how you can use food and not waste it.

EAT

It goes without saying that for each and every one of us, eating is a crucial part of our daily lives. For some, the act of eating represents pure sustenance; for others, the art of eating is a ritual of culinary delights. But whatever your relationship  to food, we can all be smarter  -- about the way we eat it, serve it, shop for it and dispose of it. We hope you will find all of the necessary tools and resources you need to reduce your  foodprint here. So EAT up… but do it mindfully.

HOW WE EAT

Follow these top ten tips to reduce your “foodprint” and food bill! (contributions by NRDC and WRAP UK)

  1. Shop Smart—plan meals, use shopping lists and avoid impulse buys. Don’t succumb to marketing tricks that lead you to buy more food than you need, particularly for perishable items. Though these may be less expensive per ounce, they can be more expensive overall if much of that food is discarded.
  2. Buy Funny Fruit—many fruits and vegetables are thrown out because their size, shape, or color are not “right”. Buying these perfectly good funny fruit, at the farmer’s market or elsewhere, utilizes food that might otherwise go to waste.
  3. Understand Expiration Dates— in the US, “sell-by” and “use-by” dates are not federally regulated and do not indicate safety, except on certain baby foods. Rather, they are manufacturer suggestions for peak quality. Most foods can be safely consumed well after their use-by dates.

    In the UK, “best before” dates are also generally manufacturer suggestions for peak quality. Likewise, most foods can be safely consumed well after these dates. The important date is  “use-by”: eat food by that date or check if you can freeze it.

  4. Zero Down Your Fridge—eat food that is already in your fridge before buying more or making something new, which will save time and money. Follow storage guidance to keep food at its best. Websites such as www.lovefoodhatewaste.com can help you get creative with recipes to use up anything that might go bad soon.
  5. Say Freeze and Use Your Freezer—frozen foods remain safe indefinitely. Freeze fresh produce and leftovers if you won’t have the chance to eat them before they go bad. You can also do this with take-away or delivered food, if you know you will not feel like eating it the next day.
  6. Request Smaller Portions—restaurants will often provide half-portions upon request at reduced prices.
  7. Compost—composting food scraps can reduce climate impact while also recycling nutrients.
  8. Use FIFO (First in First Out) as a kitchen rule. Check your pantry. Cook and eat first what you bought first. Store newly bought canned goods at the back of the cabinet. Keep older ones in front for easy access.
  9. Love Leftovers --tonight’s leftover chicken roast can be part of tomorrow’s sandwich. Diced older bread can become croutons. Be creative! Ask your restaurant to pack up your extras so you can eat them later. Freeze them if you don't want to eat immediately. Very few of us take leftovers home from restaurants. Don’t be embarrassed to do so!
  10. Donate—non-perishable and unspoiled perishable food can be donated to local food banks, soup kitchens, pantries and shelters. Local and national programs frequently offer free pick-up and provide reusable containers to donors.
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