Where a great number of people are affected by hunger, reducing food loss and waste is essential. While expecting a food shortage due to hyperinflation, Sri Lanka’s total daily waste collection in the Western Province alone is 1300 tonnes, out of which 725 tonnes is food waste. The current rising food crisis in Sri Lanka could be tackled better with an effective food management system for which creative solutions are needed.

29^th September is named the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, giving an opportunity to highlight the enormity of the issue and a call to action by both the public (national or local authorities) and the private sector (businesses and individuals), to prioritise actions and move ahead with innovations to reduce food loss and waste towards restoring and building back better and resilient-ready food systems.

Here are 5 tips to minimize food waste in our daily lives:

1. Do not over-purchase – always keep a track of what you really need, so you do not purchase items which would eventually be thrown away.
2. Store food in the correct manner – Make sure food is stored carefully in dry and airtight containers/in the refrigerator, to prevent micro-organism and pest infestation.
3. Pick ‘ugly’ looking produce – Don’t judge the fruits and vegetables by their appearance! Even though they might look odd, peeled/scratched, and unattractive, they may not be rotten. They will taste the same and give the same nutrition as the good-looking produce will. 
4. Freeze your leftovers - Freezing food is one of the easiest, safest ways to preserve it. 
5. Check the use-by dates of fresh food - These are the dates to take note of, rather than the best-before dates. Buy only what you can use before the expiry date.

Reducing food loss and waste is a powerful means to strengthen the sustainability of our food systems and improve planetary health. ‘Rise Up Sri Lanka’ aims to mobilize 500 young people between the ages of 17-27 to come up with creative ways to reduce food waste. The challenge should inspire any youth interested in creativity, agriculture, sustainability, and communications & design to participate and make a difference in the real world. The youth participating in the competition can benefit from free workshops by creative and sustainability experts of the dentsu network, while the top 20 winners will be awarded a host of valuable prizes at the final prize-giving event.

Participants can register through www.dentsuriseup.lk Candidates can thereafter submit their concepts to be evaluated by an eminent judging panel. Final call for registrations extended till 07^th October 2022.