Alarming statistics of food waste in Türkiye

According to the international group Tasnim news agency, economic crisis and inflation The precedent continues in Turkey and the price of each 210 gram loaf of bread has reached 8 liras. Paying 8 lira for a loaf of bread, in a country that is facing the worst kind of inflation, is very bitter and terrible for a significant part of Turkey’s population of 85 million people. But the strange news is that even unprecedented inflation has not been able to change the pattern of food consumption and the amount of wastage and waste. Buğday, the strange and alarming statistics of the amount of food wastage and waste in Turkey were revealed, and the evidence shows that even the price has not changed this trend. According to research, 19 million tons of food is wasted in Turkey every year. 1402/10/13/1402101315035159929121424.jpg”/>

According to the report published by the aforementioned association, 128 million tons of vegetable products (vegetables, fruits, grains, etc.) are produced annually. It is produced in Turkey, and of this amount, 19 million tons of food is wasted every year, which is one seventh of the total food produced in this densely populated country.

Of course. In some other countries, the situation of production and consumption is even worse than Turkey, and worldwide, a third of the food produced, that is, approximately 1.3 billion tons, is wasted on the way from the farm to the counter.

According to this report, the four main reasons for the crisis in food wastage are as follows:

1. Injustice in food distribution.

2. Increasing amount of food waste both due to wastage and wrong consumption and due to wrong production.

3. Food spoilage despite The use of chemicals and artificial additives in agriculture.

4. The occurrence of wars, conflicts, climate changes, epidemics and wrong government policies.

Turkey seeks to reform the pattern of food consumption

But this action has a very serious problem that has not been thought of yet. A problem called the excessive cost of organic materials. So, for example, the price of a kilo of organic apples is double compared to a normal fruit produced in so-called greenhouse centers.

As a result of the production and consumption of meat, Fruits, grains, bread and other organic food products in Turkey are only for rich and prosperous households who pay special attention to their health and do not think about the price factor when buying.

Of course, they have not gone directly to the consumer families and they believe that there are problems in the production, transportation, storage and supply sector as well. There is something serious that causes a food product to spoil much earlier than usual and the buyer has to throw away part of the product.

Academic researchers and civil society organizations active in Turkey who talk about waste and They believe that the concept of “food justice” is more important than the concept of “food security”. Because in the fundamental issue of food security, political and executive institutions only think about the production and supply of food. Meanwhile, “supply” is a problem for many households. It is serious and during the year 2023, a significant part of the Turkish people, due to the doubling of the price of food and especially fruits and vegetables, instead of buying by the usual kilos, they switched to buying in bulk or by the number.

Research shows that the agricultural and food products produced are sufficient and there is no such thing as famine or lack of food, but the produced materials and food are supplied and consumed in such a way that the part that can be used Paying attention to it is practically removed from the consumption cycle.

The detailed report of the National Gazeta newspaper published in Ankara, showed that only by cultivating half of the agricultural land in Turkey, 80 million people from They have the possibility of full supply of food and the remaining 50% can be used as pasture. But wrong consumption and high waste have made it difficult to supply some food groups even with large imports.

Turkey ranked 15th in the world

According to the report of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), in the list of the most food waste among 214 countries in the world, Turkey It has the 15th rank!

According to the words of the head of the Turkish Food Industry Employers Union (TÜGİS), 52% of the total waste in Turkey is food, and the most important The cause of this issue is a common mistake called “purchasing excess than consumption”. Image/1402/10/13/1402101315031781829121414.jpg”/>

Also, according to Professor Aziz Ak Gul, “every day in the country of 85 million people, 5 million loaves of bread are sent to the bin becomes waste, which is equivalent to nearly 2 billion loaves of bread per year. When a food product is wasted, it means that all the steps the product went through before reaching the table, including water, time and energy in agricultural production, are all lost. This is a great injustice to the world. Future generations should be educated consciously. We must create these habits in our children from a young age and encourage them to take responsibility for fighting extravagance and paying attention to saving”.

The pattern of consumption must be challenged

Ankara newspaper published a report on the most important solutions to combat waste and He discussed food waste in Turkey and wrote: “Raising the level of community awareness is a necessary and vital action. It is necessary to challenge the consumer culture and, in other words, the food consumption pattern of households, and in practice, in the form of clear and transparent educational programs, show them which wrong behaviors cause food waste. Our people should know that nature is not an unlimited resource. They should know that the appearance of beauty or visual effects does not indicate the health and nutrition of a food item and measure the real quality of food items with other criteria. But since most people are looking to buy colorful, shiny and big food, the manufacturer sends a product to the market that looks beautiful and attractive, but not only nutritious, by using all kinds of fertilizers, poisons, dyes and dangerous preservatives. It is not, but it is harmful”. jpg”/>

In the end, it should be said that throwing away bread in Turkey has broken a record in a situation where this food product has a high price in this country. As a result, it can be concluded that due to the low price of bread in Iran on the one hand and some cultural and food similarities between Iranian and Turkish societies on the other hand, probably the amount of wastage and waste of bread in Iran is also at a high level. It is necessary to pay attention to the economic and agricultural dimensions, the analysis of this issue should also be included in the agenda of cultural and educational institutions.

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