What do we truly mean when we say that we want to live sustainably? People often describe sustainability as meeting our current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. It’s about balance—between consumption and conservation, between progress and preservation. Yet, despite our growing awareness of sustainability, we frequently overlook a key contributor to environmental degradation and something many of us see every day: food waste.
Each year, nearly one-third of all food produced globally gets wasted. This large amount means far more than a staggering statistic—it’s a crisis. Wasted food represents wasted resources—water, energy, labor, and land—all mandatory for feeding a growing global population. When we waste food, we essentially throw away the water used to grow it, the energy needed to process it, and the labor that goes into harvesting and distributing it.
So, wasting food means wasting precious resources we can’t afford to lose. Moreover, food waste accounts for nearly 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, which fuel climate change. Finally, food waste represents more than an environmental crisis: It also signifies a social crisis. While millions of people go hungry every day, perfectly edible food gets discarded at every stage of the supply chain—from farms to grocery stores to our own kitchens. The scale of the problem seems overwhelming, but the good news is that we can all play a role in tackling it.
Witnessing the Waste
Bottom: Dr. Yegin at the Food Manufacturing Facility: Innovating for a Sustainable Future.
For me, this issue involves more than just numbers. It’s personal. I’ve been studying food systems for many years, beginning with my bachelor’s degree in food engineering, and this journey has taken me through higher education and research, all the way to my PhD at Texas A&M University and to my postdoctoral research at MIT. Throughout this time, I’ve gained a deep understanding of the complexities of food waste—not only from an academic perspective but also from my own experiences. I’ve seen firsthand the devastating impacts of food waste, both on the environment and on human society, and I’ve come to realize that the problem is more multifaceted than most people understand.
I’ve walked through fields, seeing the effort farmers put into their crops, knowing that a significant portion will never reach people who want to eat it. Sometimes crops go unharvested due to overproduction or because they don’t meet cosmetic standards. Farmers often get forced to throw away perfectly good produce because they can’t sell it or distribute it quickly enough. We waste food at every stage, and we face staggering environmental consequences from doing so. I’ve volunteered at food banks, sorting food for families in need, knowing that so much perfectly good food gets tossed elsewhere. I feel heartbroken when I think that in a world where so many people struggle with food insecurity, we’re simultaneously wasting enough food to feed millions. I’ve stood in food production facilities, surrounded by crates of food, realizing how better materials, packaging, and distribution could prevent huge amounts of waste from ending up in landfills.
Food waste, however, doesn’t just innocuously end up in landfills. When it decomposes anaerobically (without oxygen), it produces harmful gases like carbon dioxide (CO2 ) and methane (CH4 ). Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, traps heat in the atmosphere—more than 25 times more powerfully than CO2 . These gases contribute to global warming and climate change. In fact, food waste in landfills is a significant source of methane emissions worldwide. Every time we throw food away, we do not just waste valuable resources: We also contribute to the pollution that accelerates climate change. By reducing food waste, we can lower the amount of waste entering landfills, helping to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and reduce our collective carbon footprint.
As a food engineer, I’ve also spent years studying the science and technology of food systems. I can truthfully characterize the process of growing, processing, packaging, and distributing food as incredibly complex, with inefficiencies existing at every stage. From the farm to the grocery store to the consumer’s home, countless obstacles can lead to food waste. One such striking obstacle consists of cosmetic standards that determine the marketability of crops. For instance, misshapen, blemished, or unusual-sized fruits and vegetables often get rejected by retailers, even though they are perfectly safe to eat. In some cases, farmers cannot even harvest these crops because their labor costs exceed their profits. This type of waste happens before the food even reaches our kitchens.
At the consumer level, food waste becomes equally prevalent. In our homes, we often buy more than we need, which leads to food spoilage and to the disposal of the unused food. Expiration dates, especially “sell-by” and “use-by” dates, can mislead us, causing us to throw away perfectly good food. Many of us have experienced the frustration of disposing of food because we didn’t consume it in time, even though we suspected that we could still eat it safely. Every meal that goes uneaten becomes a wasted opportunity to save resources and protect the planet. Food waste is not just a problem for individuals—it’s a systemic issue that spans the entire food supply chain. Tackling this problem requires intervention at every stage, from the farm to the dinner table.
The consumer plays a significant role in reducing food waste. We hold the power to change the tide by simply being more conscious of how much we buy, cook, and throw away. By planning meals ahead, using leftovers, and paying attention to storage and expiration dates, we can drastically reduce the amount of food we waste. Small changes in our everyday behavior can have a profound impact on reducing food waste, which ultimately lowers our carbon footprints and helps preserve valuable resources.
Innovating Our Way out of Food Waste
Reducing food waste requires innovation at every stage of the food system. New technologies, such as biodegradable packaging, edible coatings, and antimicrobial materials, helpfully extend the shelf life of food and reduce spoilage. These innovations prove critical because they can help reduce the volume of food that spoils before it reaches the consumer. By developing better packaging materials that protect food from contamination and decay, we can help preserve food for longer periods of time. Edible coatings that create a barrier around fresh produce can help reduce spoilage without the need for harmful preservatives. These technologies, though still in development, show great promise in reducing food waste at the consumer level.
We must also use smarter labeling practices to address food waste. Retailers and consumers find the current labeling system confusing, which causes them often to discard food prematurely. By moving away from misleading “sell-by” dates and using clearer labeling standards, we can reduce the confusion that leads to unnecessary food waste. The real problem consists in the fact that these dates often don’t indicate when food becomes unsafe to eat; they instead indicate when it might start losing quality. By adopting clearer standards and educating consumers on the meaning of these dates, we can help prevent people from throwing away perfectly good food.
Additionally, improved storage solutions, from refrigeration to vacuum sealing, can help consumers and businesses alike keep food fresher for longer. Refrigeration serves as one of the most effective ways to preserve the shelf life of perishable foods, but many consumers don’t fully understand how to store food properly. Simple actions, like adjusting the temperature of the refrigerator, can significantly reduce spoilage. Vacuum sealing food can also help extend its shelf life by preventing exposure to air, which causes food to spoil more quickly. These storage solutions count as simple but effective ways to reduce food waste in the home and business.
Savvy Solutions That Help Everyone
Looking beyond technology, we can all take some simple yet powerful steps. The choices we make in our daily lives matter. Sustainability starts with small choices that add up to big changes. One of the most effective ways to reduce food waste combines better planning with mindful consumption. By planning meals more carefully, we can avoid purchasing excessive amounts of food. This mindset does not motivate us to buy less food; it encourages us to buy the amount that we actually consume. Using leftovers creatively, rather than letting them go to waste, can also help reduce our food footprint. We can use leftover vegetables in soups, stews, and salads, while we can transform stale bread into croutons or bread pudding. Composting food scraps instead of throwing them away provides another way to divert waste from landfills while enriching the soil in our gardens.
One of the most impactful actions we can take, however, involves donating surplus food to those in need. Food banks and community organizations often become overwhelmed with demands for food assistance, so donating perfectly edible food that would otherwise go to waste can help bridge that gap. This small step that can have a big impact in addressing food insecurity and in ensuring that more people have access to the nourishment they need. When we donate surplus food, we not only reduce waste but we also contribute to a more equitable food system. We can help ensure that those who need food the most have access to fresh, nutritious meals.
Furthermore, we should encourage businesses to creatively reduce their food waste. Restaurants, grocery stores, and food producers can adopt better practices by donating unsold food, implementing waste-reducing packaging, and offering “ugly” produce at discounted prices. By shifting our collective mindset from viewing food as a disposable commodity to recognizing it as a valuable resource, we can create a more sustainable food system that benefits people, the planet, and future generations. When businesses take action to reduce food waste, they not only save money but also play a crucial role in reducing the environmental harm caused by food waste.
A more sustainable future lies within our reach. It starts with us learning to value food for what it truly is: not just a commodity but a vital resource that connects us all. By addressing food waste, we not only reduce environmental harm: We also foster a more-efficient, equitable, and resilient food system. If we do not prevent food waste, we cannot get our planet to true sustainability. Food waste undermines our efforts to create a balanced and sustainable world for future generations. We can never fully achieve sustainability while food waste continues to grow unchecked.
Dr. Yagmur Yegin is an engineer with experience in both the chemical and food industries, specializing in sustainabilitydriven innovations, process optimization, product development, and efficient manufacturing processes. She has worked on developing cost-effective solutions that enhance efficiency while driving meaningful environmental impact. With a strong foundation in food engineering, including a master’s and PhD from Texas A&M University, Dr. Yegin has developed deep expertise in sustainable systems and interdisciplinary research. Her postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) focused on environmentally friendly antimicrobial films, biodegradable edible packaging, and innovative sustainable nano/ microparticles to replace intentionally added microplastics in consumer product formulations. She has received numerous awards throughout her career and contributed to over 30 peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and patents. Outside of her professional endeavors, Dr. Yegin enjoys cooking, road trips, spending time with her family, and volunteering for charitable causes.
This article was originally published in AWIS Magazine. Join AWIS to access the full issue of AWIS Magazine and more member benefits.