Food for Thought: The Unseen Tragedy of Food Waste

Seeing people wasting food is a very painful experience, and believe me, it keeps haunting me. I had to witness it many times in the last couple of months, so it keeps adding to my discomfort. Attended conferences where all were well-educated people who participated in the discussions, are activists and raise valid points related to the topic. All come from different quarters of our country and some from the neighbouring countries.


Usually, food served is flavourful, healthy, and sweets are delightful. one has to observe the quantity to avoid feeling full and drowsy.

This is the season of marriages and this year, had a number of invites, all had to be honoured. Marathi marriages have a variety of food counters, one cannot taste all the types of food in one meal. Many counters remain unvisited. This gives many options to everyone. People enthusiastically taste them,but when one finishes eating and go to the counter to keep the plates, bowls and spoons ,there is a very disturbing fact one comes across.

Most of the events now have buffet, one can go to any counter and serve oneself any amount of food. There is hardly any occasion where food is served in a pangat ( पंगत ). If one is not alert,o ne is served some quantity of food one has no appetite for. Buffet gives everyone full freedom to make choices of food and it's quantity.

When recently there was an occasion to attend an event at a well-known 5-star hotel, the meal was managed very well. The taste and presentation were praiseworthy. Counters had sufficient man power to help serve food, even the counters were able to leave used plates. When I went to keep my plate, a young intern from some hospitality institute was managing it. She had a spoon in her hand and was collecting all the leftovers in a big costly container and placing the plates and bowls in a tub for cleaning. The container was almost full. It had all the food items prepared with care and costly ingredients. It had sweets, icecream, and all the other food items.

Every food was tasty and chosen very carefully by the family who organised the get together. When I finished my food,there was a feeling of satisfaction that the food was good in quality and healthy too. But when I saw the table where the leftover was put in a big tub,suddenly it left a very bitter taste iny mouth. It was frustrating to see the young lady wearing a smart uniform and cleaning the plates using a spoon.

Why don't people get the amount one can eat? One has an opportunity to taste and then think of the quantity. Is there some restriction on going to the food counter? One can indulge in whatever one likes. Unlimited food is served on such occasions.

At the conference, there was middle aged man cleaning all the leftover from the plates with his hand. His face wore no emotions,was working mechanically,it was his role to do it. After seeing him working with his hands without wearing gloves, I requested him to use a spoon atleast,he did not answer, I thought he has no emotions attached to the act. Every time I would go to keep my plate in a big tub,it would disturb me. Suggested a karyakarta of the organising team to make an appeal to the participants to take care. He was not comfortable making the request. He too might be feeling a little sad,as it was his team which cooked variety of food for the participants,and probably silently wanted all to enjoy the local food. He had organised wonderful sweets from many places. He shook his head as probably he knew that it could not be helped.

I was wondering what image would the man cleaning the leftover food with his hands carry of the educated people.
Some suggestive boards are to be kept at the food counters.

A corporate official too narrated the experience of keeping a board at the food counter,it suggested to take sufficient but not waste the food. If one has food left on the plate ,one had to empty it in the dustbin kept in the dinning room personally. This,it was observed that worked to a great extent.

People of my generation would remember that food could not be left in the plate at any cost. And tasting everything was compulsory too. One may not taa ke second serving, that was allowed, but wasting food was treated to be an insult to God. Eating used to start with a prayer where one thanks God and those who work hard to feed us. The food was respected, it could not be wasted under any circumstances. At hom,e it was treated to be a crime. All used to sit together for most of a time, at least there used to be someone to accompany. There was a strict standard.
Even at the small roadside eateries or hotels big and small, some don't finish the food they pay for. They order according to their choice. Despite it, it is wasted. Sometimes feel the quantity of one serving should be small, one can by a variety of food items any number of times. The problem is faced when food is to be ordered for one person. There is no solution to this.

After witnessing such things, I feel the value of food has to be reintroduced emphatically. Cooking food has always been treated as a worship of God. We cannot let our children forget it. Technological developments make our life more comfortable, easier too, but at the foundation, it is food that holds our very existence. There is no shame to finish the food in the plate, on the contrar,y leaving it in the plate is shameful. This is to be explained from childhood as one of the cardinal life values.