What a simulated Mars mission taught me about food waste

As a food waste researcher, I’m concerned about how humans prepare food, eat and manage leftovers. This interest will not be just confined to Earth – it extends to other planets.

I recently spent two weeks on the Mars Desert Research Station within the US state of Utah, and experienced the intimate and difficult conditions of a Mars mission simulation. I was a part of a small, isolated team of 4 with limited selection of food, preparation and cooking options.

I desired to understand how these conditions would affect the food waste we generated. This research is especially pertinent now, as COVID-19 forces people into social isolation and raises the (real or imagined) risk of food scarcity.

Measuring waste

According to the most recent figures, in 2016-17 Australia produced 7.3 million tonnes of food waste. And yearly, each one in all us sends almost 300kg of food to landfill.

Meanwhile, an estimated 5% of Australians experience food insecurity – inadequate access to, supply of and use of food.

Food waste in landfill produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Tackling this can be a key a part of taking motion on climate change.

The Mars Desert Research Station is run by the Mars Society, a volunteer-driven non-government organisation dedicated to the human exploration and settlement of the red planet.

The first agenda item of the day by day team meeting each morning was developing the day’s menu. Sharing meals encouraged social cohesion.

My research involved detailing the quantities and dietary profile of our food waste over the fortnight, comparing inputs with the waste generated.

I collected data for spoilage, preparation and “plate waste” – the food served but not eaten. It was a painstaking process. For each meal, I weighed chopping boards, pots, pans, dishes and utensils containing food scraps. I then washed, dried and reweighed them.

I calculated macronutrients (the principal nutrients within the food we eat) in addition to micronutrients (those needed by living organisms in tiny amounts).

Food: appreciated, but wasted

Australian households waste around 1.325 kilograms of food each week; our crew produced lower than one-tenth of that.

This will not be surprising because the food supplied was not perishable, being either dehydrated or tinned. Most waste (86%) was produced during preparation (for instance, thick soup stuck to a pot) and 12% was left on plates.

The have to rehydrate food after which cook large meals suitable for sharing (similar to rice and pasta) meant food was commonly left in pots and pans. They are stickier, and the food is more commonly overproduced.

Carbohydrates were wasted greater than fats or proteins. Carbohydrates similar to rice, spaghetti and flour comprised 57% of the full food supply but contributed 63% of waste.

This will not be unusual – carbohydrates provide less nutrient density but more bulk than protein or fats, and are sometimes cheaper. We value individual items in a meal subjectively, and sometimes consciously make sure the most dear components are fully consumed.

Affluent societies, where food is assured, may not see reducing waste as a necessityor may value time saving, illness prevention, or freshness over waste avoidance.

But research has shown less waste occurs when food availability is constrained, similar to during economic downturns. But even then, some food remains to be wasted.

Getting the outcomes right

I didn’t want my very own low-waste food behaviour to influence my fellow crew members. So unlike them, I consumed a protein shake-based meal for each meal. Monotonous, but crucial to avoid skewed results.

But my colleagues knew I used to be monitoring them, they usually modified their behaviour – a phenomenon generally known as the Hawthorne Effect.

One crew member said he was conscious to waste less food during preparation and dining. Another said being observed liberated him to dine like he would at home, cleansing his plate entirely, relatively than leaving some uneaten (a social custom in some cultures).

The third crew member began keeping water used to rehydrate one meal, and using it to rehydrate the subsequent meal – something he may not have done if not being observed.

This indicates my results probably underestimated how much food can be wasted in an unsupervised scenario.

It’s value noting our crew wasn’t trained in food and nutrient waste minimisation; trained Mars astronauts may produce less waste.

Know more, do higher

My research highlights that non-perishable food can create less waste in constrained circumstances – a finding highly relevant throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, waste is more likely when preparing meals that alter in form (similar to cooking dried rice) and/or mix multiple ingredients.

Also, waste is generated in a different way on account of individual human behaviour responses and our socioeconomic background.

These lessons are timely. Member states of the United Nations, including Australia, aim to halve food waste by 2030. These steps may help:

• buy only what you would like, and can use

• when you run a food business, divert excess consumable food to food rescue organisations and charities that feed the hungry

• where possible, give food waste to animals, similar to backyard chooks

• composting food in your backyard or a community garden

• Allow ample time to eat, as more waste is generated during rushed mealtimes.

Humans crave a spread and abundance of food. But self-interest mustn’t allow us to deplete what is definitely a shared, limited resource.