Are you hungry? But I could eat. When we prepare our dishes for dinner each night, we tend not to notice the horrible mistakes we make at the end of the meal. All over the world, people are constantly wasting food. Whether it's saving leftovers or getting a second helping, humans everywhere take food from others in need. This food waste is now leading to many other predictable problems. Because of all this, food waste, food shortages, water deficits and long-term effects will appear in many countries forever. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay As more and more countries develop around the world, overeating becomes a norm that is easily taken for granted. This leads to the problem of food waste. Food waste is usually defined at the retail and consumer levels. It is described as food loss referring to a decrease in the quality or quantity of food. In simpler terms, food waste occurs when measures are not taken to preserve the food we already have (Home). Statistically, around a third of the total amount of food produced globally is wasted. This can mean a loss by overeating or throwing food away. Overall, developed countries waste approximately US$1 trillion on food each year (World Food Daily). The number is grossly overemphasized when compared to third world countries. In total, developed countries waste enough food to feed sub-Saharan Africa (World Food Daily). If food were not purchased in excess, the excess could be sent to other developing countries (jSTOR). In countries like the United States, food waste has a more visible effect. In the United States, food waste is the second largest source of waste in landfills, with a total of 30-40% of food wasted nationwide (World food daily). This leads to the release of excess methane, causing more pollution into the air. Furthermore, the more food that is thrown away, the more a country will have to buy to make up for the loss. This can lead to rising food prices, leaving lower-class families without enough money to support themselves (World Food Daily). Finally, a big problem with food waste is that people eat when they're not even hungry. In developed countries, people tend to eat one meal after another with snacks in between. This is due to the abundance of food. This is also why America has a high obesity rate (PLOS One). If food is accessible, people eat it even if they are not hungry and waste much more than they realize. Although food waste is a major problem, it is only the first step in a long series of food shortages. A short-term effect of food waste is the shortages it ultimately leads to. Due to the thousands of pounds of food wasted by people around the world, we soon predict we will have the largest food shortage ever recorded. At the current rate of population increase, the world population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050. This would mean that we would have to increase our agricultural production by 50% to meet annual demand (Food Security Overview). If countries don't step up and start growing more food, many countries will start to gain a higher percentage of hunger than years before, like in 2030. Given that Asia is the hungriest continent in the world, if they don't increase efforts to produce more food, 67% rateof food demand will not be reached by 2030 (Hunger Statistics). Furthermore, India will have to meet 59% demand if nothing is done to increase it (CNCB). Food shortages also lead to higher prices. When the price of food rises, farmers in small towns will not be able to afford to continue producing food, causing even greater food shortages. This will also lead to poor families not being able to afford to buy food. Of all child deaths worldwide, 1/3 are due to food shortages (Food Security Overview). While food shortages are a growing and ongoing concern, water deficits contribute to food scarcity and are a problem in themselves. Water is the most essential element in today's world. It's how we stay hydrated and, more importantly, how we grow our food. Unfortunately, due to food waste requiring more and more production, aquifers are drying up. Since the United Nations uses most of the water stored at the moment, it is difficult for developing countries to keep up with the amount of water they need. Furthermore, third world countries do not have enough water to continue planting crops for developed countries. Water depletion is the most difficult to monitor because it cannot be monitored photographically. A town or village usually doesn't realize they are running out of water until their wells run dry and it's too late (Plan B Updates). In Yemen, for example, the fight for water is a battle that may not be won. The country, on average, lowers the water table by 6 meters each year. However, the water table in the capital Sana'a is currently decreasing at a steady rate of 8 meters per year (Plan B Updates). Fearing that the water table could disappear completely, the city is looking for new wells to create irrigation systems for its plants. Since not much has been discovered, however, Yemen is now deciding whether to consider moving the capital entirely. The vast majority of freshwater is used for agricultural purposes, such as irrigation. So, a problem arises when 30-40% of fresh water is lost due to pipe leaks (How much is it worth). Over time, the amount of water lost will result in a drastic change in the amount of food we can produce. What most don't realize, however, is that even though we may be clear about water use now, we are robbing future generations. In China, for example, there is a current deficit of 37 billion liters of water. . Since China is the world's largest food producer, this can lead to a catastrophe (Top 5 Countries). In total, the amount of water China is behind is enough to produce 37 million tons of grain. Once we divide this, we see that we are currently stealing enough food to feed 11 million people of the next generation. With the continued demand for more food from other countries, we can predict that the amount of water needed will increase and that we will steal more food (Plan B Updates). Since water deficits are the underlying effect of food waste, it is easier to see the lasting effects by going into more detail about the real problems countries face. China, while producing the most food, is probably also wasting the most food. About 30-50% of the national food product is wasted in the country. Additionally, 70% of the total amount of waste produced in the country comes from food (brightest green). This is to be expected because, culturally, the Chinese have no use for leftovers..