Why do we waste so much food, and what does it mean for both the environment and our diets?

In this episode, hosts Adam Fogarasi and Gretchen Repasky explore food waste as a major, yet often overlooked, sustainability challenge. Drawing on research from consumer behavior and food systems, the episode highlights how a significant share of global food production is never consumed, resulting in a substantial loss of resources including water, land and energy.

The conversation examines where food waste occurs across the supply chain and shows how patterns differ between contexts. While losses often occur earlier in the system in lower-income settings, a large share of food waste in high-income countries takes place in households, driven by everyday behaviors such as over-purchasing, poor planning and confusion around date labels.

Featuring Professor Jessica Aschemann-Witzel, Aarhus University, the episode also highlights how both the type and amount of food wasted matter. Plant-based foods are often wasted in larger quantities, while animal-based products tend to carry a higher environmental impact per unit.

At its core, the episode shows that reducing food waste is one of the most effective ways to lower the environmental footprint of our diets. Rather than requiring major changes, it emphasises small, practical actions that can be integrated into everyday life and contribute to more sustainable eating patterns over time.

Episode info

Guests

Jessica Ascherman-Wietzel, Professor at Department of Management, Aarhus University

Hosts
Adam Fogarasi, PhD student, University of Copenhagen
Gretchen Repasky, Center Scientific Manager, Center for Protein Design, University of Copenhagen

Publisher
Danish Diabetes and Endocrine Academy

Audio engineering
Periscope

Producer
Adam Fogarasi
Gretchen Repasky