Please help me to write an essay on conservation of food or wastage of food. PLEASEEE!!!!

Hope it helps u Sruti

The definition of waste is a contended subject, often defined on a situational basis, and this also applies to food waste.^[3] Professional bodies, including international organizations, state governments and secretariats may use their own definitions.^[4]

The United States Environmental Protection Agency defines food waste for the United States as "uneaten food and food preparation wastes from residences and commercial establishments such as grocery stores, restaurants, and produce stands, institutional cafeterias and kitchens, and industrial sources like employee lunchrooms".^[6] The states remain free to define food waste differently for their purposes,^[7][14] though many choose not to.

Production

In developingand developed countries which operate either commercial or industrial agriculture, food waste can occur at most stages of the food industry and in significant amounts.^[15] In subsistence agriculture, the amounts of food waste are unknown, but are likely to be insignificant by comparison, due to the limited stages at which waste can occur, and given that food is grown for projected need as opposed to a global marketplace demand.^[16][17] Nevertheless, on-farm losses in storage in developing countries, particularly in Africa, can be high although the exact nature of such losses is much debated

Definitions of food waste vary, among other things, in what food waste consists of,^[5] how it is produced,^[6] and where or what it is discarded from or generated by.^[5] Definitions also vary because certain groups do not consider (or have traditionally not considered) food waste to be a waste material, due to its applications.^[7][8] Some definitions of what food waste consists of are based on other waste definitions (e.g. agricultural waste), and which materials do not meet their definitions.

A 2011 study by the Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology (SIK) on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Global Food Losses and Food Waste, distinguishes between "food loss" and "food waste", and provides figures for both:

• Food loss measures the decrease in edible food mass (excluding inedible parts and seed) "throughout the part of the supply chain that specifically leads to edible food for human consumption", that is, loss at the production, postharvest and processing stages. This definition of loss includes biomass originally meant for human consumption but eventually used for some other purpose, such as fuel or animal feed.
• Food waste is food loss occurring during the retail and final consumption stages due to the behavior of retailers and consumers^[10] – that is, the throwing away of food.

Economic factors, such as regulations and standards for quality and appearance,^[21] also cause food waste; farmers often harvest selectively, preferring to leave crops not to standard in the field (where they can be used as fertilizer or animal feed), since they would otherwise be discarded later.

Prevention

One way of dealing with food waste is to reduce its creation. This attitude has been promoted by campaigns from advisory and environmental groups,^[46] and by concentrated media attention on the subject.^[43][47]

Psychology can be useful in helping reduce food waste. There are two ways we can reduce food waste, either prevent consumers from throwing away huge amounts of food as waste, or stop them in some way from producing so much. Once people begin a certain behavior in their lives, it is difficult to discourage it. So rather than discouraging them from wasting food, it is easier for someone to act as a good influence on them not to even begin wasting food in the first place. As children, it is easier to establish a social norm for them, but it is harder for them to change it later in their lives. We can establish a form of positive punishment to the child.^[48] For example, if a children decide not to finish their food on their plates, then the parents can scold them so the children realize the parents are disappointed or angry with them. The children may be scared, so they will be less likely to throw food away. This way may work, or instead, negative punishment can also be useful, for example, not giving dessert to children if they do not finish all their food. Positive punishment has been more effective according to many studies.

If adults have established a negative behavior, it is extremely difficult for them to suddenly stop wasting too much food. Our parents are our main influence growing up, so getting rid of these prints can be difficult, but still possible. To begin with the idea of small steps at a time, asking people to think about what they want to eat gets them thinking about how to portion their food for themselves. This is a smaller step than asking them not to take as much food. Asking them about what barriers exist in their lives may also help; barriers are one of the main causes that stop people from changing their behaviors. Barriers associated with wasting food include not wanting to get up and refill one's plate, inconvenience, and not thinking holistically. Holism involves seeing the idea of wasting less food as a whole positive effect across the world and not only themselves. People tend to see the present, but forget about the effects in the future. Combining these ideas can work to help people throw away less food, which will certainly lead to a decrease in food waste piles.^[49]

Consumers can reduce their food waste output at points-of-purchase and in their homes by adopting some simple measures; planning when shopping for food is important, and spontaneous purchases are shown as often the most wasteful. Proper knowledge of food storage reduces foods becoming inedible and thrown away

Disposal

Like other waste, food waste can be dumped, but it can also be fed to animals (typically swine), or it can be biodegraded by composting or anaerobic digestion, and reused to enrich soil.

Dumping food waste in a landfill causes odour as it decomposes, attracts flies and vermin, and has the potential to add biological oxygen demand (BOD) to the leachate. The EU Landfill Directive and Waste Regulations, like regulations in other countries, enjoin diverting organic wastes away from landfill disposal for these reasons. In countries such as the US and the UK, food scraps constitute around 19% of the waste dumped in landfills, where it ends up rotting and producing methane, a greenhouse gas.^[45]

Food waste can be composted at home, avoiding central collection entirely, and many local authorities have schemes to provide subsidised composting bin systems. However, the proportion of the population willing to dispose of their food waste in that way may be limited.

Anaerobic digestion produces both useful gaseous products and a solid fibrous "compostable" material. Anaerobic digestion plants can provide energy from waste by burning the methane created from food and other organic wastes to generate electricity, defraying the plants' costs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Food waste coming through the sanitary sewers from garbage disposal units is treated along with other sewage and contributes to sludge.

Commercially, food waste in the form of wastewater coming from commercial kitchens’ sinks, dishwashers and floor drains is collected in holding tanks called grease interceptors to minimize flow to the sewer system. This often foul-smelling waste contains both organic and inorganic waste (chemical cleaners, etc.) and may also contain hazardous hydrogen sulfide gases. It is referred to as fats, oils, and grease (FOG) waste or more commonly “brown grease” (versus “yellow grease”, which is fryer oil that is easily collected and processed into biodiesel) and is an overwhelming problem, especially in the USA, for the aging sewer systems. Per the US EPA, sanitary sewer overflows also occur due to the improper discharge of FOGs to the collection system.^[51] Overflows discharge 3 billion US gallons (11,000,000 m³) - 10 billion US gallons (38,000,000 m³) of untreated wastewater annually into local waterways, and up to 3,700 illnesses annually are due to exposure to contamination from sanitary sewer overflows into recreational waters.^{[52][dead link]}

In US metropolitan areas, the brown grease is taken by pumpers or grease-hauling trucks to wastewater treatment plants, where they are charged to dump it. In other areas, it may be taken to a landfill or it may be illegally dumped somewhere unknown, to avoid charges. This unmonitored disposal process is not only harmful for our environment and our health, but it also hurts businesses which have no idea where their business waste ends up, or indeed how much liquid waste is in their grease interceptors at any point in time, leaving them vulnerable to illegal dumping into their own grease traps or interceptors. Some companies now market computerized monitoring services along with in situ bioremediation, which produces byproducts of CO₂ and gray water that can safely flow into sewer systems. Other new technologies offer ex situ treatment to process brown grease into some form of transportation fuel. This may not be as environmentally friendly as in situ treatment, since it still requires vehicles to pump and transport the brown grease waste to the plants.

Estimating how much brown grease food waste is produced annually is difficult, but in the US alone, number is thought to be in the billions of gallons. In 2009, the city of San Francisco stated it produces about 10 million US gallons (38,000 m³) of brown grease a year. It is starting the first city-wide project in the US to recycle brown grease into biodiesel and other fuels.^[53]

  OR u can even use the following one

Food Wastage – Primary Cause of Hunger

Hunger is one of the primary reasons behind death in poorer section of people. It shows some devastating effects in children in the form of malnutrition. There are many reasons behind hunger and amongst them food wastage affects the society in a dual way. On one side it does not allow the food to reach to the right hands and on the other side increase the price of food. Strong determination to stop wastage of food can only bring positive effects in society.

Necessity of human being and it is sad to know that at least 925 million people across the world are deprived of it. According to the statistics provided by worldhunger.org among these 925 million people, at least 578 million people are from Asian and Pacific region. A maximum number of people suffering from undernourishment are from developing countries.

It is sad that children are most liable victims of malnourishment. Children deprived from food for a sufficiently long span of time suffer from serious forms of Protein Energy Malnutrition. This situation arises due to the insufficient supply of nutrients especially proteins and energy to the body to meet its demands. A malnourished or undernourished child falls prey to many diseases like malaria, measles, diarrhea etc. Most of the deaths of children below 5 years of age are reported to be due to Protein Energy Malnutrition.

Reasons behind hunger from the economic point of view are many, like poverty and uneven distribution of money which is a primary cause of hunger. Poverty means lack of resources and ability to purchase food. Since ages it has been seen the rich people have access to all resources and tend to become further rich whereas the poor become poorer.

Some other reasons include economic crisis across the world and inadequate supply of food due to neglect towards agriculture. Another major factor which adds to all these is the wastage of food across the world. Food wastage statistics are quite saddening. The trend of wasting food has crept slowly from rich countries like America to developing countries.

Wastage of food begins at the producer level (farmer) and continues through the distribution channel till the house hold level. If we add up the wastage at each level it shows a considerable amount which can perhaps save many children from malnourishment. Vegetables are stored to increase the price in the market and if in this process they are spoilt they are simply thrown away. A vegetable seller throws away huge quantities of vegetables at the end of day rather than selling them at a lower price just because he has to maintain the market price. Similarly distribution channels, publicize the damage to stored food to artificially increase the prices. Tons and tons of packed food just go as waste. The reason behind this is the expiry date. How nice it would have been if they could have planned and distributed them amongst the people living in slums just before reaching their expiry date.

Did you ever think before throwing food into the dustbin at the restaurant or at home? Now-a-days it is common to see heaps of wasted food dumped outside a reception hall or a restaurant. Food wastage at the house hold level has also become common these days. The wasted food is not only a problem to the environment but it also increases the number of street dogs, rats, bacteria etc thus spoiling the balance of ecosystem. Are we not contributing to hunger and imbalance in ecosystem?

Back in the olden days our grandparents used to teach us not to leave even a single particle of food. Evidence of this can be found in one of our great epics Mahabharata where Lord Krishna fills up his stomach with a single rice grain and asks Draupadi not to waste that. Social and moral values have vanished away as the earning capacity of a few people has increased. Can we not take steps to stop food wastage and save a child who is crying because of hunger?

tell me if it is of use k...All the best!

^{measures the decrease in edible food mass (excluding inedible parts and seed) "throughout the part of the supply chain that specifically leads to edible food for human consumption", that is, loss at the production, postharvest and processing stages. This definition of loss includes biomass originally meant for human consumption but eventually used for some other purpose, such as fuel or animal feed.}

The definitions go first sruti

 and then the 2011 study

 Thank you soooooo much Deandra. 

Thank u ma'am..