Food Waste
In many countries, people throw away a lot of food from restaurants and shops.
Why do you think people waste food in this way?
What can be done to reduce the amount of food thrown away?
The amount of food waste in many parts of the world has been increasing. This trend is mainly due to a lack of awareness regarding food scarcity, which can be tackled through government intervention.
The increasing amount of food waste is a result of people’s poor attitude towards food conservation. In many countries, city dwellers throw away leftovers, including those from restaurants and shops, without any consideration for those who are less fortunate and may suffer from food scarcity. This issue is compounded by the fact that individuals who have access to abundant food supplies tend to be ignorant of the situation faced by people in less developed countries.
To address this problem, governments can take several measures. First, they can raise public awareness about the negative impact of food waste on society and encourage responsible food consumption habits. For instance, in Japan, children are taught how to reduce food waste and reuse leftovers as part of their curriculum, which has become an integral part of Japanese culture. Second, governments can impose regulations on food establishments to reduce food wastage. They can do this by imposing penalties for violators, which will encourage compliance and significantly reduce the amount of food wasted.
In conclusion, the issue of food waste can be attributed to a lack of awareness about food scarcity and, thus can be addressed through government intervention regarding the promotion of responsible consumption habits and the implementation of regulations. Moreover, individuals should also take responsibility for their actions and make an effort to reduce food waste.
Essay Breakdown
Structure
Introduction
[1] The amount of food waste in many parts of the world has been increasing. [2] This trend is mainly due to a lack of awareness regarding food scarcity, which can be tackled through government intervention.
1. Paraphrase the given topic.
2. Answer both parts of the questions: the reasons for increasing food wastage and possible solutions for this phenomenon.
Body
Paragraph 1
[1] The increasing amount of food waste is a result of people’s poor attitude towards food conservation. [2] In many countries, city dwellers throw away leftovers, including those from restaurants and shops, without any consideration for those who are less fortunate and may suffer from food scarcity. [3] This issue is compounded by the fact that individuals who have access to abundant food supplies tend to be ignorant of the situation faced by people in less developed countries.
1. A topic sentence showing the main idea: people’s poor attitude
2. Explain the main point by giving an example
3. Continue to develop the main point
Paragraph 2
[1] To address this problem, governments can take several measures. [2] First, they can raise public awareness about the negative impact of food waste on society and encourage responsible food consumption habits. [3] For instance, in Japan, children are taught how to reduce food waste and reuse leftovers as part of their curriculum, which has become an integral part of Japanese culture. [4] Second, governments can impose regulations on food establishments to reduce food wastage. [5] They can do this by imposing penalties for violators, which will encourage compliance and significantly reduce the amount of food wasted.
1. A topic sentence expressing the main idea – the solution lies with governments
2. Supporting idea 1 – raising public awareness and encouraging responsible food consumption habits
3. Give an example to support the first main idea
4. Supporting idea 2 – imposing regulations
5. Provide further explanation to support the second main idea
Conclusion
[1] In conclusion, the issue of food waste can be attributed to a lack of awareness about food scarcity and, thus can be addressed through government intervention regarding the promotion of responsible consumption habits and the implementation of regulations. [2] Moreover, individuals should also take responsibility for their actions and make an effort to reduce food waste.
1. Restate my opinion
2. Extend the viewpoint by stating a final thought (Individual responsibilities to reduce food wastage)
Vocabulary
The amount of food waste in many parts of the world has been increasing. This trend is mainly due to a lack of awareness regarding food scarcity, which can be tackled through government intervention.
The increasing amount of food waste is a result of people’s poor attitude towards food conservation. In many countries, city dwellers throw away leftovers, including those from restaurants and shops, without any consideration for those who are less fortunate and may suffer from food scarcity. This issue is compounded by the fact that individuals who have access to abundant food supplies tend to be ignorant of the situation faced by people in less developed countries.
To address this problem, governments can take several measures. First, they can raise public awareness about the negative impact of food waste on society and encourage responsible food consumption habits. For instance, in Japan, children are taught how to reduce food waste and reuse leftovers as part of their curriculum, which has become an integral part of Japanese culture. Second, governments can impose regulations on food establishments to reduce food wastage. They can do this by imposing penalties for violators, which will encourage compliance and significantly reduce the amount of food wasted.
In conclusion, the issue of food waste can be attributed to a lack of awareness about food scarcity and, thus can be addressed through government intervention regarding the promotion of responsible consumption habits and the implementation of regulations. Moreover, individuals should also take responsibility for their actions and make an effort to reduce food waste.
Vocabulary Highlight
- food waste: uneaten food that is discarded
- lack of awareness: insufficient knowledge or understanding of a particular issue
- food scarcity: insufficient food supplies or access to food
- government intervention: actions taken by the government to address a particular issue
- poor attitude towards food conservation: negative or careless behavior towards reducing food waste
- city dwellers: people who live in urban areas
- leftovers: uneaten food that remains after a meal
- less fortunate: those who are less privileged or have limited resources
- abundant food supplies: having access to an excessive amount of food
- responsible food consumption habits: adopting practices to reduce food waste and promote sustainable food consumption
- public awareness: the extent to which the public is knowledgeable and informed about a particular issue
- negative impact: harmful effects or consequences
- compliance: following rules or regulations
- violators: those who break rules or regulations
- penalties: punishment for violating rules or regulations
Grammar Gems
RELATIVE CLAUSE
“This trend is mainly due to a lack of awareness regarding food scarcity, which can be tackled through government intervention.”
This sentence includes a relative clause (which can be tackled) that modifies the noun phrase (a lack of awareness regarding food scarcity). The use of a relative clause is a common and useful grammatical structure in English. In this sentence, the use of “which” helps me to summarise both the reasons and the solutions in one sentence.
Reading
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Listening
Further listening can be found here: