Sri Lanka wastes large volumes of food despite nutrition crisis : Experts warned

By Mangala Pavithrani

Colombo, April 30 (Daily Mirror) - According to government statistics, around 19% of vegetables (221,955 metric tons) and 21% of fruits (290,151 metric tons) are wasted annually.

Professor K.K.D.S. Ranaweera of the University of Sri Jayawardenapura said this is mainly due to poor harvesting methods, improper transportation, handling issues, delays, and the lack of cold storage facilities.

He also revealed that a single hospital generates between 1 to 4 metric tons of food waste per day.

Professor Ranaweera further said that urban households waste food worth over Rs.1,000 per week, with an average of 34 kilograms of food discarded weekly.

Meanwhile, Senior Professor Renuka Silva from the Faculty of Nutrition at Wayamba University said that, although food security has improved, the quality of food consumed by people remains poor.

“People may have enough food, but they do not have access to nutritious food.” he said.

He explained that due to rising food prices caused by COVID-19, the economic crisis, and Cyclone Ditwah, many people are forced to buy cheaper, less nutritious food.

“When the economic crisis hit, people focused only on filling their stomachs. They reduced consumption of meat, fish, and eggs. As a result, both children and the elderly faced serious nutritional problems.” he added.

Professor Silva also pointed out that the growing preference for unhealthy food is driven by factors such as high food prices, busy lifestyles, lack of time to cook, and increased consumption of cheap snacks and ultra-processed foods.

He highlighted that social media and advertisements have strongly influenced young people, especially children and students, to move away from healthy eating habits.

Continuous public awareness campaigns on nutrition, especially through media, could help reduce unhealthy eating habits and control diseases such as high blood pressure, obesity, and cholesterol he highlighted.