Food waste

Introduction

Food industry giants sign up to waste "pact " in France - Industry ...

With the world’s population growing, there’s more and more waste being produced each year.  Experts think that as much as half of all the food produced in the world ends up going to waste. It’s estimated between 30 and 50% of all the food produced in the world never even reaches a human stomach. Scientists blame food having strict use-by dates and consumers expecting fruit and vegetables to look a certain way. In this web task you are going to look at why so much food is thrown away and what we can do to reduce waste.

 

Exploration A Date labels and food safety

Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDIpDupYPiY and watch the video. Answer the questions in English.

1 What is the difference between ‘best before’ and ‘use by’ dates?

2 What is the correct fridge temperature?

3 What happens if your fridge is not cold enough?

4 Can you still freeze food at the ‘use by’ date?

5 What are the Dutch translations of ‘best before’ and ‘use by’?

 

Exploration B Food hero Dan Cluderay

Go to http://www.approvedfood.co.uk/ and read about Dan Cluderay’s business.

1 What does Dan sell?

2 How much money can you save by buying from this company, according to the website?

3 Which products does the company NOT sell?

4 Does Dan have a real shop you can go to? Explain your answer.

Now watch the video about Dan’s company on the website (or on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYUMFnxo-wY) and answer the questions.

5 How does Dan get the goods?

6 How does Dan make sure that the foods he sells is safe to eat?

7 How is the reporter responding to the taste test?

8 How do the people of Sheffield respond to the taste test?

9 What were the results of the lab tests?

10 Would you buy or eat products that are past their ‘best before’ date? Why (not)?

Exploration C Take the quiz


Are you a waster? Take the quiz here: http://www.foodwastemovie.com/quiz-js/

Final task

Food waste is a hot topic both for those trying to save money and the planet. Consumers play a leading role in preventing food waste. But what can we do? How can we make sure we throw away less food?

Make a list of ten ‘top tips for teens’ for preventing food waste. Look on the Internet for ideas, or think of original ideas yourself. Share your tips with your classmates (& family members)!