Since a third of the food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted throughout the supply chain globally, reducing this loss is no longer a simple matter of changing individual habits. It's true that by doubling down on our efforts to minimise recklessness in our individual consumption patterns we could potentially make a contribution, but such a transition is negligible and more often than not unsustainable. 40% of food loss actually occurs at post-harvest and processing levels in developing countries, and in industrialised nations the same percentage occurs on retail and consumer levels. As we wait for some sort of government-led mechanism to tackle the issue, Gurugram residents have instead chosen to take matters into their own hands in a staggering display of sensibility and altruism to address at least one critical impact of this wastage: hunger.

Spurred on by Rahul Khera - a member of Sharing Shelves, an organisation committed to the cause - residents of Suncity, Gurugram, have installed a community refrigerator at the entrance. Residents are encouraged to leave leftovers behind in cold-storage in a bid to reduce the community's overall food waste. This food can then be accessed by anyone in need of it, minus restrictions. Here's his post:

Despite a recurring crop surplus, India repeatedly fares poorly in the Global Hunger Index. 20 crore Indians sleep on an empty stomach each day, even as 7,000 lose their lives to hunger daily. Everywhere else, governments are stepping in with more concrete solutions intrinsic to establishing food sustainability. France's recent ban on supermarkets destroying unsold food, for example, has forced these markets to donate excessive food to charitable organisations and food banks.

Closer home, most initiatives - scattered as they are - focused on connecting surplus or donated food with food insecure families appear to be citizen-led. Apart from the Gurugram community fridge initiative, which has now been joined by 30 families, there is also the ‘Nanma Maram' manoeuvre in Kochi. Instituted by Mina Pauline of local restaurant Pappadavada, this community fridge has motivated individuals, party-makers, event planners, and restaurant owners to donate their surplus for redistribution of food in a similar fashion.

Another notable movement dedicated to eradicating food waste in India is the ‘No Food Waste' app, borne into existence by three social entrepreneurs, which operates in eight cities including New Delhi. Through an app and helpline number, No Food Waste tracks public events about to dispose of food and dispatches volunteers to test the quality of food and redistribute among set ‘hunger zones' in each city, geo-tagged by app's users. 

Here's a video showing how the app in action:

A permanent, and obvious, solution to putting an end to food waste altogether is to efficiently close the supply-chain loop. Facilitate supply systems that consume fewer resources than the prevailing paradigm. Aside from ensuring that food does not reach those who need it, food waste currently entails loss of freshwater and fuel, while contributing to unsustainable agricultural practices and heightened global carbon emissions. Retreating to a more heuristic approach that relies on localised, small and mid scale community farms rooted in permaculture could help us rethink our consumption patterns.

© Thinkstock/Getty Images

It's true that I began this article by outwardly disparaging small-scale civic efforts. That is, perhaps, a little too jaded and not my true opinion. Anyone who has faced even a day of intractable hunger, and I have had my fair share, will tell you the same. One meal rerouted to someone in need is a meal worth celebrating. Bon appétit, India.