Read the following passage and answer questions from 46 to 50. The wastage of…
2022
Read the following passage and answer questions from 46 to 50.
The wastage of food is substantial in every country, but some studies have shown that it is more serious in developing countries. The UNFAO had estimated that one-third of all produced food may be getting wasted. The world produces twice the amount of food that is needed, but large numbers of people are deprived of it due to wastage and other reasons. Food gets wasted at the farm, when it moves to the market and is processed, stored and shifted to shops, and finally in the kitchen. Many fruits and vegetables perish soon after harvesting. There is a need to improve production and storage practices, transport and infrastructure, cold chain systems and processing techniques. Modern technologies and packaging methods are needed. But even in countries where these facilities are available, wastage is high. So, the most important requirement is to improve popular awareness of the need to ensure that food is not wasted in any form, at any stage. China has launched a clean plate campaign against wastage. It is estimated that food worth at least Rs. 1 lakh crore is wasted in India, and this does not include wastage of cooked food. A part of that should be enough to feed the larger numbers of hungry people in the country, which is ranked 94 out of 107 countries in the global hunger index. Food is wasted massively at weddings and on other occasions. The Delhi Government had, in pre-Covid times, thought of restricting the number of guests at weddings to reduce wastage of food. The UN report says that reducing food waste would also cut greenhouse gas emissions and slow the destruction of nature through land conversion and pollution. Avoiding food wastage should therefore become a national mission. It will have very positive environmental, social and economic impacts. In India, it is stated that household food wastage is 50 kg per capita per year, which is less than in countries like the US and China. It is not because of efficient use of food, but because of overall availability of food.
Stoppage of food wastage is needed in the interest of:
Answer: D. Making food available to all — ConceptA passage-based question is answered from the author’s stated ideas, not from outside assumptions. First identify the exact relationship asked for,…
- A.
Food production
- B.
National food mission
- C.
Bringing down the number of countries in Global Hunger Index
- D.
Making food available to all
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept
A passage-based question is answered from the author’s stated ideas, not from outside assumptions. First identify the exact relationship asked for, then match it with the passage’s explicit cause, purpose, or consequence.
Application
Here, the question asks whose interest is served by stopping food waste. The passage says that the world already produces enough food, yet many people remain deprived because food is wasted. It adds that even part of the food wasted in India could feed many hungry people.
Contrast
Food production concerns increasing output, whereas the passage says output is already sufficient and focuses on preventing loss.
A national food mission is proposed as a means of organizing anti-waste action; it is not the group or interest ultimately served.
India’s Global Hunger Index rank illustrates the existence of hunger; changing the number of countries in the index is not discussed.
Making food available to all directly captures the passage’s link between saving wasted food and feeding people who are deprived.
Result
Therefore, stopping food wastage is needed in the interest of making food available to all.