Getting something good from throw-away foods and throw-away food culture

The amount of waste food and food related food generated worldwide and particularly and disproportionately among the wealthier nations is truly staggering. Estimates range from 1.3- 2.0 billion tonnes in terms of global food loss and waste with an estimated 57 million tonnes coming from households and services in the EU alone. Such global waste is saddening and also associated with more than 4.4 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents and the impact this has on global warming. Reducing and re-deploying waste in terms of the food itself (at source or during processing and logistics) and the materials used to contain and transport food is a subject of much interest and rather pressing concern. Aspects of the description of waste and potential applications of the diversity of waste and wasted materials will feature in the treatment of the topic. The new areas of research in terms of materials recycling and particularly in the area of bioplastics and biodegradable materials are two current hot topics studied that attempt to reduce both pollution and global warming.