Illustrative stock photo (source: Sme)
Every fifth Slovak admits that they waste food. An average person throws away 111 kilograms of food a year.
The Agriculture Ministry warns that wasting food also wastes natural resources, as well as people and their energy.
“It is not only irresponsible towards the environment, but also immoral towards people who cannot afford quality food,” Agriculture Minister Gabriela Matečná said, as quoted in a press release. “It’s time for us to change our consumer behaviour fundamentally.”
Young and middle generations dispose of food
In the list of countries that waste food the most, Slovakia ranks eighth.
The survey carried out by the AKO agency for the Agriculture Ministry found around 23 percent of Slovaks admit they throw away the leftovers. Nearly half of respondents say they try to use the leftovers for further cooking or give them to animals. One-third of respondents say they do not throw away any food.
The survey suggests that mostly people aged 23-49 years are wasting the most food. The share of wasting in households is increasing together with education and income.
Slovaks mostly dispose of bread and baked goods (35 percent), while 29 percent throw away the cooked food leftovers.
When asked why they have leftovers, up to 74 percent of respondents said they cooked more than they ate. In 34 percent of cases, the food deteriorated or its date of consumption expired.
Change necessary
“Regarding the excessive waste of food, there is a question of how to change this trend,” Matečná said, as quoted in the press release.
People need to think about what they are buying and how much. It is better to go shopping more often and buy less products, she added.
“We will not only avoid needless food waste, but also save money and have fresher products at home,” the minister added.
