Who Keeps Track of the Bread We Throw Away?

Whenever supermarket prices rise, we discuss our budgets. We calculate the cost of tomatoes at the market, bread at the bakery, and meat at the butcher. Quite rightly. Yet we rarely discuss the food thrown away from the same kitchen every week.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme’s Food Waste Index Report 2024, approximately 1.05 billion tonnes of food were wasted worldwide in 2022. This amounts to one fifth of the food available to consumers. The picture becomes even more striking when we consider the 783 million people facing hunger in the same period. One notable finding is that roughly 60 percent of waste occurs in homes. The global average for household food waste is approximately 79 kilograms per person annually.

The situation in Türkiye is similar. Estimates shared by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry put household food waste at millions of tonnes. Its “Save Your Food” campaign demonstrates awareness of the problem, but campaigns have limited effect unless habits at home change.

The chain behind a loaf of bread

When we throw away a slice of bread, more than a piece of dough disappears. The farmer’s labor growing wheat, irrigation water, the mill’s and bakery’s energy, transport fuel, and finally the money from our pocket are wasted too. Discarded food also releases greenhouse gases as it decomposes in landfill. Waste is therefore much more than a moral lesson; it directly concerns the economy, environment, and food security.

What we can change at home

The most frequent causes are familiar: buying too much, poor storage, cooking excessive quantities, and misunderstanding date labels.

If one of the products bought in a “three for the price of two” offer spoils and is thrown away, we have bought it needlessly rather than cheaply. Checking the refrigerator and cupboards before shopping, and making a short list, can make a difference.

Date labels are often confused too. A “use by” date is a safety limit to take seriously, particularly for perishable food such as dairy and meat. A “best before” date indicates the period of best quality; products such as pasta, rice, or canned food can often still be consumed afterward if stored appropriately. Failing to understand the distinction can result both in safe food being discarded and, conversely, risky products being eaten.

Our culinary culture already contains many traditions that prevent waste: tirit made from stale bread, patties from leftover rice, soups from vegetable scraps… Remembering these methods known to our mothers and grandmothers benefits both the budget and the table.

It would also be unfair to place all responsibility on households. Restaurants can offer more flexible portion sizes, and shops can discount products approaching their use-by date or donate them to food banks. Local authorities should support food banking and expand composting. In a city closely connected with agriculture, such as Diyarbakır, reducing losses from field to market should also be part of the discussion.

We cannot solve high prices alone. But paying attention to how much food we discard this week, and adjusting our shopping list accordingly, is entirely within our control. Perhaps the first step is opening the refrigerator tonight and cooking with the products closest to spoiling.