It was dinner time in MysticLand. The Gifted Four rushed to the dining hall with their rumbling tummies in tow. Verum said, “Oh, I wish there’s soup tonight!”
A shivering Felix replied, “Yes, some soup will be so comforting in this chilly weather!”
“It’s not that cold, is it?” said Scorch, “Anything less than blazing heat is cold for Felix.”
“Anything more than subzero temperatures is too hot for Scorch,” shot back Felix.
“Ay, let’s all calm down,” said Orak as he opened the doors to the dining hall.
The Gifted Four strolled into the room and sat at their usual table. Soon, dinner was served. Scorch crinkled her nose and said, “Is that broccoli I see?”
“Yes! Broccoli is yummy!” said Felix, munching on some.
“Ugh, I cannot bring myself to eat it,” said Scorch, turning away from her plate.
“Hey, Scorchie, please don’t waste food,” said Verum, “Recently, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released a report based on the data collected in 2019. It is called the Food Waste Index Report 2021.
According to it, the world wastes about one-sixth of the food produced every year. That means about 931 million metric tons of food is wasted every year.”
“That is not nice at all,” said Orak, sipping a spoonful of mushroom soup, “Despite being a basic necessity, food isn’t always readily available. At least 690 million people go hungry every year because they don’t have enough food. Over 3 billion people can’t afford healthy and nutritious food.”
“Exactly,” said Verum, “Moreover, when you waste food, you also waste the water, energy, farmers’ hard work, and money that goes into cultivating this food.”
“Martina Otto from the UNEP says that wasted food can contribute to global warming,” added Verum, “The work that goes into producing this amount of wasted food releases at least 8% to 10% of all greenhouse gas emissions.”
“Okay, okay, I’ll eat the broccoli,” said Scorch.