Welcome to Food Waste Stories!
I’m Emma, and I have been writing about food waste since 2019. I agree with Sophie Thomas that ‘waste is a design flaw’, and considering the massive impact that food waste has on the environment and climate, we don’t have much time to figure out how to design food waste out of our society.
For me, ‘designing out’ can mean wholesale system change and what we can do as individuals in our daily lives, as well as literal design solutions (which I also love). I write this blog in my spare time to uncover some of those things. I consider it more of a magazine, with articles and features divided into four parts:
The At Home section is devoted to easy strategies and recipes for reducing food waste at home. Some of them have changed my life, and hopefully will inspire new ways of using and appreciating our food.
To discover the ways in which people are getting creative with food waste, head to Art & Design. There are so many great people playing with the idea of ‘food waste’, and questioning new ways of dealing with the material we usually throw away.
Want to know how food waste is being dealt with in law, regulation, food companies and what needs to change? The section Business & Policy addresses action in government and the wider world, including best before dates, supermarket food waste, and wonky food.
Books & Media delves into what other people are saying about food waste, and if you are interested in diving into more technical and broader food waste issues, head to Research. Here you can get stuck into waste theory and longer essays, including What is food waste?, and learn about how we can change the food system itself.
Everyone has a story to tell – whether it is about food waste in different countries, how love can affect waste, and why mental health can make waste so difficult to avoid. Dive into others’ food waste experiences, solutions and surprising habits in Your stories and share your own. Each story is accompanied by a bespoke illustration by resident artist Erin Chapman.
My own story began when interviewing people about their food waste practices for my masters’ thesis. I learned that everyone wastes food, but no two people agree on what ‘waste’ is, and it is not just the individual who is responsible. Our social norms, our material possessions, and the systems around us all have a part to play. I am currently doing a PhD to continue this research journey. So please follow and stay tuned!
FOOD WASTE STORIES 