🍎 Key Idea: Food waste is a global issue that occurs differently in more economically developed countries (MEDCs) and less economically developed countries (LEDCs). In MEDCs, the waste occurs primarily at the consumer level, while in LEDCs, it's at the producer level.

✅ Fun Fact: Imagine tossing away one-third of your lunch every day. That’s how much food is wasted in the UK each year!

🥕 Consumerism and Excess Wealth: Consumerism and wealth in MEDCs often result in excess food that gets wasted. Just think about how often you see advertisements for food or go grocery shopping!

🍏 Retail Standards: Supermarkets often reject perfectly edible fruits and vegetables because they don't look perfect, contributing to a huge chunk of food waste (1.6 million tonnes globally each year!). Picture this - an apple getting dumped because it's not red enough, or a potato left to rot because it's not big enough!

🗑️ Waste at Consumer Level: Most waste in MEDCs happens because of the behavior of retailers and consumers. In other words, we often buy more than we need or throw away what we don't like the look of.

🎒 Homework: For one week, track the amount of food wasted in your household. Can you think of ways to reduce it?