Sustainability of food, including food security, sustainable production and consumption, reducing food waste in the home and industry, recycling and composting, and the impact of food waste.

What this dot point is asking

AQA wants you to explain what sustainability and food security mean, why food waste is a problem, and the practical ways waste can be reduced at home and in industry, including recycling and composting.

Sustainability and food security

Sustainable production includes organic and low-chemical farming, sustainable fishing, protecting soil and water, and reducing the carbon footprint. Sustainable consumption includes eating less meat, choosing local and seasonal food, and wasting less.

Why food waste matters

Reducing food waste at home

• Plan meals and shop with a list so you buy only what you need.
• Check date labels and understand use-by (safety) versus best-before (quality).
• Store food correctly to make it last (fridge, freezer, airtight containers).
• Use leftovers in new meals and freeze surplus.
• Compost vegetable peelings and use food-waste collections.

Understanding date labels is central to cutting waste: a use-by date is about safety (do not eat after it), while a best-before date is about quality (the food is usually still safe afterwards, just past its best). Throwing away food simply because it is past its best-before date is a major cause of avoidable household waste.

Reducing waste in industry

Producers and shops reduce waste by improving portion and packaging design (resealable packs, smaller options), selling wonky (imperfect) produce that would once have been rejected, redistributing surplus to charities and food banks, and turning by-products into other products such as animal feed, compost or energy through anaerobic digestion. Better stock control and accurate demand forecasting also cut the amount that goes unsold.

Food security

Food security depends on factors such as population growth, climate change affecting harvests, the cost and availability of food, and conflict disrupting supply. A sustainable, less wasteful food system supports food security by making the most of what is produced, which is why reducing waste is both an environmental and a social issue.

Try this

Q1. Define food security. [1 mark]

• Cue. Everyone having reliable access to enough safe, affordable and nutritious food.

Q2. Give two ways a household can reduce food waste. [2 marks]

• Cue. Plan meals and shop with a list, store food correctly, use leftovers, freeze surplus or compost peelings.