Fashola says "Dont Waste Food ooh"

LAGOSIANS were yesterday warned against food wastage.

Governor Babatunde Fashola gave the advice during the celebration of the World Environment Day at the Blue Roof Hall, LTV8, Ikeja.

The theme of the event was: “Think, Eat, Save”.

Fashola, who was represented by his deputy, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, said food wastage has financial and environmental impacts.

He said: “Food wastage leads to the squandering of resources, such as fertilisers, pesticides and fuel, used for transportation. The volume of food going into landfill sites is enormous and this creates methane, which is one of the most harmful contributors to climate change.”

The governor said statistics of the Food and Agriculture Organisation, an agency of the United Nations (UN), show that 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted in a world where one in every seven persons go to bed hungry daily.

He said: “This is equivalent to the amount produced in the entire Sub-Saharan Africa. As if this is not enough, they said one out of every seven people in the world, including Nigeria, go to bed hungry and more than 20,000 children below age five die daily from hunger.

“This report, for me, is unacceptable, unfair and harsh on posterity. Wastage occurs because many producers, retailers and consumers discard food that is still fit for human consumption. That is why Nigerians must make informed choices in buying and consumption.”

Fashola urged residents to guide against food wastage to ensure efficient land use, improved water resources management and curb climate change.

“The loss of property and livelihood is one that we must proactively guide against to mitigate global warming,” he added.

The governor urged the hospitality industry, especially restaurants and food marts, to carry out waste audits and product loss analysis for high waste areas; offer discounts for near-expiration items; limit menu choices; introduce flexible portioning of food and follow storage guidelines to preserve food items.

Commissioner for the Environment Mr. Tunji Bello regretted that while the world is struggling to feed its seven billion inhabitants, a third of the food produced globally is wasted.
He urged Lagosians to eat less of canned and processed food.

The Nation