Village and Food Waste

KOMPAS/M PUTERI ROSALINA

Food waste found under a bus stop on Jalan Letnan Sutopo, South Tangerang, Sunday (8/5/2022).

On 19 May, 2022, Kompas daily raised the topic of food waste in its main story. Citing the data from the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), Kompas explained that estimated food waste in Indonesia in the period between 2000-2019 ranged between 23 million and 48 million tons per year, or between 115 kilograms and 184 kg per capita per year.

Another data source, the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition, which was also quoted by Kompas, even showed that Indonesia wasted about 300 kg of food per capita per year, putting it in the top three largest food wasters globally, alongside Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

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Kompas estimated that the value of food waste in Indonesia reached about Rp 330 trillion (US$22.7 billion) per year. In conclusion, we must find a solution both in the upstream and downstream to cope with the food-waste problem.

Villages in the supply chain

Both food loss and food waste represent economic losses for all actors along food-supply chains. Food loss refers to food or food materials that are wasted before being processed, while food waste refers to food that is fit for consumption, but is discarded because its supply exceeds consumption or because it has passed its expiration date.

In developed countries, the main problem is related to food waste; whereas developing countries such as Indonesia face an added challenge of food loss.

Usually the food-supply chain consists of farmers, collectors, wholesalers, retailers (stores) and consumers.

The problem in the food loss category can be traced from the food-supply chain. The food-supply chain refers to the series/sequence of circulation of food commodities, from producers to final consumers. Usually the food-supply chain consists of farmers, collectors, wholesalers, retailers (stores) and consumers.

Villages represent the farthest upstream end of the food-supply chain. Most of the food commodities are produced or cultivated in the village, so that food loss is a challenge that must mainly be faced by villages.

Quantitatively, food waste occurs when supply exceeds demand. When the harvest comes, there is excess in supply, and the market cannot absorb the entire crop.

We often hear that many farmers give their vegetables (green mustards and tomatoes) for free to residents. It is not uncommon that many farmers have been forced to throw away their rotten crops because there are no buyers. The harvest that has to be thrown away is nothing but a waste of resources.

Food waste also occurs when supplies do not meet market-quality criteria. In 2019, the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) was reported to have sold about 20,000 tons of rice at below-market prices because of declining quality. For food producers, selling products below market prices can cause a financial loss.

Postharvest and information technology

Almost all parties agree that one of the main keys to reducing food waste is post-harvest treatment. Good processing and treatment after harvest, storage (warehouse, cold storage), packaging and distribution can maintain food quality for a longer period of time.

KOMPAS/DAHLIA IRAWATI

Residents in housing in Malang City donate food to their neighbors who are self-isolating due to Covid-19.

Post-harvest treatment can prevent or slow down the spoilage of food commodities thereby reducing food waste.

The government and the private sector must have made many efforts regarding post-harvest, but as long as food waste still occurs, these efforts need to be further encouraged.

One possible action is re-exploring scientific discoveries related to the treatment of postharvest and implementing them, eroding the gap between work in the laboratory and application in the field.

Information technology can also play a role in reducing food waste. In Indonesia, several applications have emerged that connect food producers with consumers directly.

In addition to shortening the food-supply chain, the application also makes it easier for producers to find the buyers of their products and thereby reduce the potential for food waste.

The role of information technology can be expanded further. For example, it is necessary to explore the development of applications that contain information about the estimated demand for food commodities in the coming harvest period, complete with product qualifications.

Our food is available because of the services of farmers, who mostly live in villages.

This will reduce oversupply and will ultimately reduce the potential for food losses. There is a saying, “if you eat today, thank a farmer”. Our food is available because of the services of farmers, who mostly live in villages.

Reducing food waste is an expression of our gratitude to them, not only through wiser behavior in food consumption, but also through various improvements on the production side.

A proper post-harvest treatment, availability and disclosure of information (market and weather) are quite important to improve the performance of food producers.

FE UNPAR

Siwi Nugraheni

SIWI NUGRAHENI, lecturer at the School of Economics, Parahyangan Catholic University

(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi)