I was looking at the open fridge, contemplating what to eat.
I stumbled upon something that was supposed to be “healthy.” I had bought it on a whim, telling myself I would eat clean.
As I looked at the package, I realized it was well past its expiry date.
I hadn’t even realized it had been sitting in my fridge for so long.
There was nothing I could do now except throw it away.
“Money wasted.”
That was my first thought.
But later, as I sat thinking about it, I realized there was a much deeper loss than money.
A farmer had toiled in the field to grow the grains.
Someone had collected them and taken them to the wholesale market.
Someone had transported them to my city.
Someone had carried the gunny bags and stacked them in a warehouse.
Someone had packed them into smaller packets.
Someone had transported them to the shop where I bought them.
And now, I was throwing them away.
And there is even more effort involved in disposing of what I had wasted.
All that human effort, energy and resources — ultimately ending up in the garbage.
“Wasted food is not just a loss of money.”
It is a loss of everything that went into producing it and bringing it to us.
Perhaps the solution is simpler than we think.
Order less. Consume consciously.
There are at least two benefits.
We consume only what we really need.
And we avoid sending someone’s hard work to the garbage.
Maybe the first tiny step I can take is simple:
“Order a little less.”
Because every time we waste food, we are wasting much more than food.
- SAMEER KULKARNI
