JakartaPost-June 14, 2022
Tons of food ends up in landfills every year, adding to climate change and hunger issues. What should we do to mitigate these problems? Indonesians are aware of the food problem and in their own ways, try to be part of the solution. One solution to the food waste issue is food banks that distribute food that was originally going to be disposed of to those who need it or have limited access to food. Food banks also collect and store food from various sectors and hand it to underprivileged people. “Food banks are a solution [to food waste issue] that has been implemented in several developed countries. Recently, it was adopted in some developing countries, including Indonesia, which, as far as I know, only has six [food banks],” said Siti Suci “Laras” Larasati, founder and CEO of the Aksata Pangan Foundation, a food bank in North Sumatra.Based on research by the National Development Planning Ministry (Bappenas), between 2000 and 2019, losses from food loss and waste reached Rp 551 trillion (US$37.83 billion) per year, which is enough to feed up to 125 million people. Food waste is the second-largest form of waste in Indonesia after plastic. Based on data from the National Waste Management Information System, in 2021, the people of Indonesia disposed of 47.7 million tons of food waste or 27.14 percent of the total national waste. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/culture/2022/06/14/indonesian-food-banks-try-to-tackle-food-waste-and-climate-change-issue.html.
