The Zimbabwe Civil Society Organizations Scaling Up Nutrition Alliance (ZCSOSUNA) is urging the nation to tackle the alarming issue of food waste, particularly at the bustling Mbare food market, where thousands of fruits and vegetables are discarded daily.
In a recent interview with 263Chat, Kudakwashe Zombe ,a Nutrionist with ZCSOSUNA emphasized the urgent need to preserve food and add value to it.
“So there’s so much food waste that is currently taking place. You know, there are many varieties of foods that are lost as a result of the food going bad, especially at markets.” he said
Globally, approximately one-third of all food produced is wasted, amounting to about 1.3 billion tons each year. This waste not only represents lost resources but also contributes significantly to climate change.
When food waste decomposes in landfills, it produces methane, a greenhouse gas that is over 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide in trapping heat in the atmosphere. Zombe linked this troubling trend to climate change, stating, “Food waste also contributes to climate change. So, in a way, the food system that we have currently is broken.”
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), food waste is responsible for about 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
To combat this issue, the government has introduced the Food System Transformation Strategy, aimed at addressing the challenges of the current food system.
“If implemented well, we can ensure that there is a reduction in terms of the food that is wasted,” Zombe said.
He also stressed the importance of technology in this fight. “Technology plays a very, very important role in trying to reduce food waste by preserving food and elongating its shelf life. Innovations in food storage, packaging, and preservation can dramatically decrease the volume of waste.”
Zombe provided examples of how traditional methods can be effective in reducing waste. “Starting with vegetables, we can sun dry as we used to do back in the 1970s and 80s. And also mangoes—solar-dried mangoes actually fetch a higher price.”
In Zimbabwe, where an estimated 30% of fruits and vegetables are lost before reaching consumers, adopting both modern technology and traditional practices could significantly improve food security and reduce environmental impact.
