Food - It has so much meaning!

Food isn't just about sustenance; it's deeply intertwined with culture, tradition, and identity.

Across the globe, cuisines reflect the evolution of human history. From the spicy curries of #India to the delicious pizzas of #Italy, each dish carries stories and memories!

Indian Culture and Food

Growing up in India, food was an integral part of my life. I am not surprised because food is not just seen as fuel for the body in the country; it's an expression of love, hospitality, and community. Here's why:

• Festivals and Feasts: Indian festivals are incomplete without elaborate feasts. Whether it's Diwali, Eid, or Christmas, families come together to prepare and share special dishes with the objective of strengthening bonds, relationships and creating memories.
• Unity in Diversity: India's diverse regional cuisines showcase the country's vastness and multiculturalism. There are many Indias within India and every region has its own culinary delicacies.
• Spices and Flavors: Indian cuisine is renowned for its vibrant spices and complex flavors. Each spice has a purpose, whether it's turmeric for its anti-inflammatory properties or cardamom for its aromatic allure.
• Ayurveda and Balance: Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of medicine, emphasizes the connection between food and health. Ingredients are chosen carefully to maintain balance and promote well-being.

Food Waste in Indian Culture

While growing up, I was always told by my parents to not waste food, and to only put that much on my plate that I can finish. This has now become an ingrained habit for life.

While Indian culture celebrates food, wasting it is frowned upon. Here's why:

- Annaprashan: The first feeding ceremony (annaprashan) is a significant event for many Hindus. It symbolizes the introduction of solid food to a child, and hence food takes a bigger meaning that just nourishment. Wasting food is considered inauspicious.

- Guests as Gods: Indians believe in the saying "Atithi Devo Bhava" (Guests are like gods), and serving great food to guests is seen as a gesture of wonderful hospitality. Wasting food offered to guests is disrespectful.

- Karma and Gratitude: Many Indians believe in karma (the law of cause and effect). Wasting food is seen as ingratitude toward nature, farmers, and the divine forces that provide sustenance.

Numbers don't lie

With so much cultural heritage, food wastage is something I frown upon. So my mind boggles to read statistics like:

1. 33% of all food produced globally is lost or wasted every year. That's a staggering amount!
2. 45% of root crops, fruit, and vegetables produced worldwide also end up as waste.
3. Food loss and waste contributes to 8% of all greenhouse gas emissions.
4. The food wasted globally could feed all 795 million undernourished people in the world.

Does Marketing have an Answer?

As we celebrate #StopFoodWasteDay today on 24th April, it makes me ponder on whether there is something that the #marketing community across food companies can do to tackle this global challenge. There are a few thoughts that come to mind:

1. Raise Awareness: Through our work and our network, we should be making people close to us understand the severity of the global food waste problem.

2. Educate: A large part of the food wastage is due to poor transport, storage, and planning. Marketers should engage with various stakeholders in society to share simple, creative, practical and impactful ways to reduce food waste.

3. Act: It is important to take simple and easy steps to reduce food waste in daily lives. This could mean consuming those foods first that are close to expiry, giving second life to ingredients that commonly go to waste, and even purchasing perishables that may not 'look' nice but are still as tasty and healthy as any other perishable.

4. Communicate: If you can take just a meagre 1% of your advertising budget and spend it on campaigns and initiatives that talk about food loss and waste through a sustainability lens, you will be helping your company as well as your planet significantly.

If you would like to build on my thoughts on what more can be done to stop food waste, please drop me a comment.