14 DAY TRIAL // Recent investigations have revealed that, each year, people living in Britain throw away some ₤19 billion (€22.96 billion / $31.28 billion) worth of food.
This might not be such a big issue if it were not for the fact that this food is perfectly good to eat.
Thus, it appears that the only reason why it ends up in trash bins instead of on people's plates is because folks have one look at it and then decide that it is simply too “ugly” to be consumed.
Daily Mail details that, for the time being, about two fifths of Britain's annual fruit and vegetable crops are looked down on by consumers.
Consequently, stores and supermarkets refuse to sell them and farmers are left with no choice expect either use the food to feed livestock, or simply let it rot in the fields.
“One of the greatest drags on making progress is not so much regulation but how one views waste. Consumers themselves are still reluctant to buy misshapen cucumbers and things like that,” says Professor Charles Godfray with the University of Oxford.
“The [food] industry maintained its previous standards because they were worried about consumer reception. I don’t think we completely have the public with us on the importance of what food waste is,” the professor adds.
According to the same source, roughly 40% of the food presently consumed in Britain is imported. Specialists say that, contrary to what some might think, these sources are not all that reliable, and could be shaken up by various natural disasters.
As the country's population continues to increase, it is possible that Britain will find itself experiencing a crisis in food security.
Professor Tim Benton with the Leeds University maintains that, all things considered, the country can take steps towards improving on its food security by figuring out a way to convince people to eat not just locally grown fruit and veggies that look appealing, but also foods that fail the “beauty” test.