 Food waste made simple. Paul recently moved into his first apartment of his very own. Living alone is no big deal to him, but still, his mother stops by every now and then to check up on him. Needless to say, his mom can't help cleaning up a bit. When she opens the trash can, she discovers unopened food packages inside. What a waste. Paul doesn't understand what she's fussing about. After all, the expiration date on the packages has passed. He can't eat that anymore. His mother explains it to him. Food waste has a lot of different causes. Even before products get to the supermarket, many of them are discarded. Either they don't meet appearance and quality standards, or they weren't packaged correctly for shipment, so they spoil prematurely. But the main cause is consumers. Usually it's simply because they buy too much or cook more than they can eat. Unfortunately, the consequences are grave. Wasted food is responsible for nearly a quarter of all environmental pollution. Rainforests are cut down in order to grow food that is wasted and clear pasture for farm animals whose meat ends up in the trash. Around the world, over a billion people are overweight and, nevertheless, just as many suffer from hunger. Economic factors also play a role in this. In the United States and Europe, people spend around 10 to 20% of their income on food. In Kenya and Pakistan, average food expenditures are around 50% of earnings. So it's no surprise that industrialized countries produce more waste than others. With the products that are thrown out in Europe alone, world hunger could easily be eradicated. Theoretically, it would be enough to solve the hunger of a second earth. Now Paul has a bad conscience. He asks his mother what he should do. A good start is for him to plan his food for the week and write shopping lists. If he prepares more of a dish than he needs, he could freeze individual portions. Supermarkets often sell packages that are too large for a one-person household. But at a farmer's market, Paul can decide for himself how much of a product to buy. Appropriate storage at home is also important. Not everything belongs in the refrigerator. Some types of fruit and vegetables are sensitive to cold and last longer at room temperature. Paul's mother also explains that products past their expiration date are not inedible right away. After that date, it's best to do a smell and taste test. However, if the package says consume by, you shouldn't eat the product after that date. That can end badly. Now Paul knows what it's all about. With these tips, he's not just helping the environment. He's saving money too. And his mother is happy that she won't have as much to worry about around his bachelor pad.