The bleak images of the empty shelves in supermarkets, seen at the start of the Covid-19 emergency, are among those that will be remembered for a long time, together with other much more dramatic ones. The first worrying news on the seriousness and spread of the contagion in fact also had the effect of inducing people to make stocks, with the consequent "looting" of supermarkets and the disappearance of consumer goods, such as flour.
In fact, in the last week of February there was a 12% increase in sales in the large-scale retail trade compared to the same week of the previous year1. Cooking at home, if on the one hand it can lead to an improvement in eating habits (excesses aside), on the other it can cause an increase in food waste, mainly due to the risk of not consuming food on time. The result is a potential environmental impact of extreme gravity: among the deleterious effects that waste causes to the environment we remember for example the emission of huge quantities of carbon dioxide2.
The news of these days is conflicting: if according to some sources the lockdown has reduced waste, according to others the excess of purchases and the lack of consumption have increased the share of food thrown away. And all this at the same time as the worsening food suffering situations experienced by many people with social frailty worsen. In the press review (in italian language), certainly not definitive and exhaustive, we have collected some articles dedicated to this complex issue.
We also remind you that for further information it is possible to consult the page "Fight against food waste" on the website of the Metropolitan City of Turin. Enjoy the reading!
Note
- Coronavirus, boom di vendite nei supermercati: il rischio è lo spreco alimentare - Il Giornale del cibo
- In tutto il mondo si inizia a buttare il cibo accumulato nelle corse ai supermercati per il Covid-19: sprechi aumentati del 30% – GreenMe
- “ Lo spreco alimentare ai tempi del Coronavirus. La psicosi lo alimenta, ma c’è anche chi dà il buon esempio” - Gambero rosso
- Spesa al supermercato, meno sprechi e nuove abitudini. Cosa è cambiato con la quarantena Un’indagine condotta da Altroconsumo rivela i cambiamenti degli italiani nel fare la spesa al supermercato: meno cibo nella spazzatura e abitudini nuove – Help Consumatori
- Coronavirus e spesa alimentare: 3 mosse anti spreco – Interris
- La spesa che combatte gli sprechi alimentari si adatta al Covid-19 (e bussa alla porta di casa) – Torino Oggi
- Bucce, gambi e foglie: scarti da valorizzare ricchi di sostanze benefiche, ma attenzione ai pesticidi. L’articolo di Altroconsumo – Il Fatto alimentare