Sustain zero waste of food in society

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For this year’s International Day of Zero Waste, the focus is on food – what we eat, what we waste, and how we can move towards a more circular future. The world wastes food on a staggering scale. Every year, we throw away about one billion tonnes of edible food, nearly one-fifth of all food available to consumers. This impacts both people and the environment.
A press release of the United Nations stated that around 60 per cent of food waste happens at the household level. The rest comes mostly from food service and retail, the result of inefficient food systems – including production, distribution and consumption. Tackling this issue requires redesigning these systems, transitioning towards a more sustainable, circular approach grounded in efficiency, resilience and sustainability. A zero-waste future is possible when everybody works together – do their part by consuming thoughtfully, recovering surplus food, and working to build circular food systems. As such, they all have to consume food efficiently without various forms of waste.

Therefore, in Myanmar society, families should teach their future generations to eat in an orderly manner and to consume food efficiently and responsibly, so that they may grow into responsible citizens through such guidance. Those who have excess food should share it with those in need with kindness and compassion, with zero waste. Only in this way can a peaceful and prosperous society be built.

In Myanmar society, some people waste food. In reality, for any food item to come into existence, farmers and livestock workers must first labour hard in agriculture and livestock production. The raw materials obtained are then turned into food products through production processes that require significant labour, capital investment, financial resources, and managerial and intellectual effort. Only after all these stages and resources are invested does a food product come into being. Therefore, everyone should value and consume food efficiently.
Just because one has the money to buy food does not mean one should consume it carelessly or wastefully after purchasing it. Such selfish and thoughtless behaviour amounts to nothing more than food wastage. The food that may be lost due to one’s actions could instead be used beneficially by other consumers if it were not wasted, thereby bringing benefits not only to oneself but also to one’s community and the nation. Only when all produced food is consumed efficiently can unnecessary financial losses in the food production sector be reduced, which in turn will become an important support for the national economy.
Therefore, in Myanmar society, families should teach their future generations to eat in an orderly manner and to consume food efficiently and responsibly, so that they may grow into responsible citizens through such guidance. Those who have excess food should share it with those in need with kindness and compassion, with zero waste. Only in this way can a peaceful and prosperous society be built.

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