Are you aware that approximately 1/3 of all food produced on this planet is thrown away? Meanwhile, around 795 million people go to bed hungry each evening.
The issues of food waste and world hunger are largely a result of distribution and greed, as well as a lack of forethought and planning. In the United States, for example, residents dump around 40% of their hard-earned food into the trash. Obviously, this is a travesty which needs to be remedied.
Restaurants are far worse than the average consumer, however. To adhere to strict food safety guidelines, produce that might be one day past its peak fresh date is trashed, as are leftovers hungry humans would have no problem feasting on. A restaurant in India, however, has adopted an ingenious method to help solve the problems of food waste and hunger.
When Minu Pauline, a restaurant owner in Kochi, India, saw a homeless woman eating scraps from a trashcan, she knew she had to do something. So, she decided to put a fridge outside of her restaurant Pappadavada.
The street fridge is open 24/7 and is free for anybody to use. Restaurant patrons often leave leftovers or donated food in the fridge for hungry individuals, and Pauline herself leaves around 75-80 portions of food per day.
She told The Huffington Post:
“Money is yours. But resources belong to society. That’s the message I want to send out. If you’re wasting your money…you’re wasting society’s resources.”
The fridge has been nicknamed “nanma maram” or “tree of goodness.” It’s an extension of aid to help those in need until more permanent solutions are presented.
Should every restaurant have a fridge where leftovers and donations can be offered for free to hungry citizens? Please comment your thoughts below and share this news!
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