Michelle Mulherin (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am seeking a debate on food waste in light of the astounding scale of the problem, not just in our own country but worldwide. It is contributing to social and environmental problems both here and internationally. We talk about world hunger and we examine food poverty, yet it is generally accepted that there is sufficient food in the world to feed the global population. Ireland has a growing population and is in a position to expand its food industry, including in the context of exports. We also import - under Harvest 2020 and Foodwise 2025 - many foods that cannot be grown here.

Notwithstanding the fact that enough food to feed the world's population is being grown, it is ironic that 1.3 billion people are going hungry. At the same time, we are wasting 1.3 billion tonnes of food annually. This is happening because of waste throughout the food supply chain. When farmers grow produce on industrial farms, the food is dumped if it is not aesthetically pleasing, even though it might contain all the nutrients and flavour we require. That is just one aspect of it. Right down through the food supply chain it is calculated that approximately 35% of perishables are wasted. In Ireland, 1 million tonnes of food are wasted every year between commercial and domestic consumers. Some 300,000 tonnes of this waste comes from households, although 60% of it is avoidable. We must consider what is happening in this regard. It is a crying shame that our systems are set up in this manner. The situation is unsustainable. In addition to world hunger and our food poverty, we must also examine the relevant environmental issues. These include the cost of food production, transportation and disposal. This issue is at the heart of many problems we are trying to deal with. A debate on food waste would be worthwhile and would give us cause to reflect on our lifestyles.