A Research Scientist, Dr Stella Agyemang Duah and her team have partnered with Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly to mark Stop Food Wastage Day 2022 in the metropolis.

Commemorating Stop Food Wastage Day under the theme “Educating and igniting change in the Ghanaian for National Development” the parties held an engagement to come up with recommendations to food services and vendors, university students from various institutions in the Ashanti region, waste management team at the Assembly and the general public on food waste.

The stakeholders further the Bantama and Racecourse markets to sensitise and educate the market women on how to reduce food waste at their level.

Dr Duah encouraged all stakeholders at these levels to be conscious on reducing food waste.

She further stated that unavoidable waste can be channeled into organic fertilisers or compost.

She also appealed to waste management companies to come on board to design robust bin segregation materials which can ease the effect of carbon emissions on our landfill sites and promote a clean Ghana.

This is the first time Ghana is holding such an event.

This was inspired by the United States of America’s Compass Group Holdings, one of its global food service leaders found it necessary to mark this day to accelerate the awareness campaign against food wastage.

Through these advocacy, USA have saved about 40% of food that go waste.

In a statement, Dr Duah says she and her team have adopted the strategies to remind all and sundry to be intentional about reducing food waste.

“It is attitudinal, everyone must be encouraged to be positively involved in cutting down waste. Today is it food, but check around you; how you use water, clothing, fuel and other products, at least, it drives us to put in check every aspect of our lives.

“The target of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12 counts postharvest losses and we are ready to secure losses along the production and supply chains as well. We will channel them into compost to reduce the use of inorganic fertilisers,” she noted in a statement.

The Research Scienctist further called on government to consider SDG 12 targets and implement them for sustainable food security in the country.

“At any point, we are available to assist the ministries or government to achieve this goal by 2030. Aside from attitudinal, solving food waste is political. Everyone must be involved,” she noted.