Zimbabwe: Reduce Food Waste, Zimbabweans Urged

The Zimbabwe Civil Society Organizations Scaling Up Nutrition Alliance (ZCSOSUNA) is calling for action against food waste. This issue is particularly severe at the Mbare food market. Thousands of fruits and vegetables are thrown away daily.

In a recent interview with 263Chat, Kudakwashe Zombe, a nutritionist with ZCSOSUNA, highlighted the need to preserve food. He stated, "So there's so much food waste that is currently taking place." Many varieties of food spoil at markets, leading to significant losses.

Globally, about one-third of all food produced is wasted. This amounts to around 1.3 billion tons each year. Food waste not only wastes resources but also contributes to climate change.

When food waste decomposes in landfills, it produces methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas that traps heat more effectively than carbon dioxide. Zombe noted that this trend worsens climate change: "Food waste also contributes to climate change."

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), food waste accounts for 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

To address this problem, the government has launched the Food System Transformation Strategy. Zombe believes that if implemented well, it can reduce food waste significantly.

He emphasized technology's role in this effort: "Technology plays a very important role in trying to reduce food waste." Innovations in storage and preservation can help extend shelf life and decrease waste volume.

Zombe also mentioned traditional methods for reducing waste. For example, sun-drying vegetables was common in the 1970s and 80s. Solar-dried mangoes can fetch higher prices as well.

In Zimbabwe, about 30% of fruits and vegetables are lost before reaching consumers. Combining modern technology with traditional practices could improve food security and lessen environmental impact significantly.