English

Stage 6

Paper 1 Non-fiction 2024

Cambridge Primary Progression Test
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3126_01_INS_4RP
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Food waste

From time to time, we’re all guilty of leaving leftovers on our plate – whether it’s
because we aren’t enjoying our meal, feeling full or trying to avoid eating our
yucky vegetables. It’s normal, right? No big deal. Well actually, food waste is a
global environmental issue that is a big deal and needs resolving – and here’s 5
why.

What is food waste?

Food waste refers to any food products that are thrown away as opposed to
being consumed. Typically, this waste can be split into four categories:

• By-product waste – food by-products created through the manufacturing of 10

food types or the domestic cooking process, for example peels and trimmings
from fruit and veg.
• Expired products – food items (that are often packaged in plastic) that have
gone past their sell-by date1 in shops and supermarkets and shouldn’t be
consumed 15
• Leftovers – the waste that is created from unwanted food remains in our
households or in places like restaurants, aeroplanes, etc.
• Bakery products – unsold food items that spoil quickly.

What are the main causes of food waste?

There are many different causes of food waste. However, the leading causes 20
are:

• shops, supermarkets, or restaurants ordering too many products that do not

sell
• poor education about food waste
• lack of awareness of expiry dates. 25

Why is food waste a problem?

Food waste presents a significant problem due to the volume of waste that’s
produced each year. In fact, in the EU2 alone, it’s estimated that 89.2 million
tonnes of food are thrown away annually. The vast majority of food waste ends
up in landfill sites3 which are already full to overflowing. Many people don’t view 30
this as an issue because food items, unlike most plastics, degrade naturally over
time. However, it contributes heavily to global warming and the erosion of the
ozone4 layer. This is because food waste releases a great deal of methane gas
as it breaks down. According to a recent report, methane is 25 times more
harmful than CO2 because it can trap much more heat within the atmosphere. 35

Food wastage, moreover, is morally wrong. To put it simply, we throw away

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millions of dollars’ worth of food each year – even though about 690 million
people across the globe are undernourished. Just think about that for a moment!

How can we reduce food waste?

The food industry needs to change its ways. But meanwhile, there are various 40
ways in which you can encourage your parents or carers to go about reducing
your food waste. Here are some suggestions:

• encourage whoever cooks to pre-plan meals so they know exactly what to

buy from the supermarket and don’t buy unnecessary groceries
• persuade adults to look carefully at sell-by dates when shopping to make 45
sure they’ll use the groceries in time
• set up your own compost heap in your garden
• find your green fingers and start your own vegetable patch
• check the fridge regularly and make adults aware of all sell-by dates.

You might think that these small changes are too trivial and insignificant to make 50
a difference. Well actually, it’s estimated that around 60% of food waste comes
from the home, so any small change is a change in the right direction.

Glossary
1
sell-by date: the date given on food when it is recommended it should be sold by
2
EU: European Union
3
landfill site: a place where rubbish is buried in the ground
4
ozone: a gas

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