The difference between avoidable and unavoidable food waste
A distinction has been made between three grades of food waste: avoidable, possibly avoidable and unavoidable food waste.
Unavoidable food waste
Under normal circumstances we cannot eat this kind of food, such as meat bones, the shell of coconut and the skin of oranges. We can use this food give extra flavor to our food and drinks, however in the end we don’t eat or drink it – instead we throw it away.
Possibly avoidable food waste
This in between category includes food that some people eat and other people don’t, such as potato skins, the pulp in orange juice and bread crusts. It much depends on taste and preferences whether it is considered waste or not.
Avoidable food waste
Food waste is labelled avoidable if we (humans) were at some point able to eat the food, such as slices of bread, a tomato or a tenderloin steak, but we chose not to eat it instead. If we talk about reducing food waste, most gains can be achieved in this category.