Food waste: sometimes a matter of culture

By Charis Tai and Joi Lam Chow

Chinese graves leave feed for the after-life.

Different cultures have different practices, and through these differences, dissimilar amounts of food waste are created. Some emphasize minimizing food waste, while others purposely leave large amounts of food lying before altars. So, how do different cultures create food waste?

Within Hong Kong, it is believed that spirits of the deceased feel lonely or angry if not acknowledged after their demise. As a form of appeasement, food is put before the graves of relatives to appease their restlessness.

Roam elites decorated their floors with garbage.

Throughout Roman history, people were encouraged not to waste food and eat the leftovers the next day. This mindset resulted in the invention of meatballs and sausages. Furthermore, they saved food to the extent that garbage would be scattered on the floor as decorations, which they believed would dissolve into small glass chips.

In India, food is a big part of marriage ceremonies and plays a crucial role in festivities. It is an expectation that not a single guest goes hungry. Food is generously prepared and served, which leads to food being wasted by both cooks and guests. The saying “Atithi Devo Bhava'', meaning “Our guest is God'', is taken to the extreme, resulting in 10-20% of the food prepared for Indian marriages being wasted. (How We Indian are waste the Food in Marriages., n.d.).

American supermarkets are prone to reject ‘ugly food’.

American culture promotes quantity above all else. And because of this, they waste the most food out of any country. The US is leading the world in the amount of food waste they produce, mainly because of the unrealistic aesthetic standards placed upon produce. This results in fruits and vegetables not being bought because of a slight bruise or discoloration, which results in farmers having to throw the produce away. (Food Waste in America: Facts and Statistics. (n.d.))(Why Americans Lead the World in Food Waste. (n.d.))

In conclusion, different cultures have brought up both food waste problems and food waste solutions. But after all, the problem of food waste is international and has to be tackled regardless of cultural beliefs.