The Reading / Listening - Food Waste - Level 2

The U.K. government said a third of the world's food is wasted. It said this high level is "unacceptable". Over 7 million tons of food is wasted in the UK every year. A politician said: "One-third of food…is lost or wasted globally." The government talked about solutions to the food waste problem. First, schools could raise children's awareness about it from a young age. Secondly, supermarkets could sell vegetables they throw away because they are the "wrong" shape. Finally, "sell-by" dates and "best before" labels need to change. Good food is thrown away because of these labels.

The politician said throwing away so much food was socially and environmentally unacceptable. He said: "Socially, it is a scandal that people are going hungry and using food banks when so much [food] is being wasted." He added that: "Environmentally, it is a disaster, because energy and resources are wasted." He said food ends up rotting in landfills and produces a climate-changing gas. He also asked supermarkets to sell vegetables that have a funny shape. He said: "It's ridiculous that perfectly good vegetables are wasted simply because they're a funny shape."

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Food Waste - Level 0 Food Waste - Level 1   or  Food Waste - Level 3

Sources
  • http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-39747327
  • http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/supermarkets-wonky-veg-food-waste-report-mps-report-recycling-food-banks-scandal-a7709601.html
  • http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/3009197/mps-call-for-national-food-waste-target


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice, drag and drop activities, crosswords, hangman, flash cards, matching activities and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. a third of the world's food
  2. Over 7 million tons
  3. solutions to the food
  4. schools could raise children's
  5. supermarkets could sell vegetables
  6. because they are the "wrong"
  7. "sell-by" dates and
  8. Good food is thrown away because
  1. they throw away
  2. "best before" labels
  3. of food
  4. of these labels
  5. awareness about it
  6. waste problem
  7. shape
  8. is wasted

Paragraph 2

  1. socially and environmentally
  2. it is a
  3. people are going
  4. energy and resources
  5. end up rotting
  6. it produces a climate-
  7. perfectly good vegetables are
  8. because they're a funny
  1. shape
  2. unacceptable
  3. in landfills
  4. wasted
  5. scandal
  6. are wasted
  7. hungry
  8. changing gas

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The U.K. government (1) ___________________ the world's food is wasted. It said this high (2) ___________________. Over 7 million tons of food is wasted in the UK every year. A politician said: "One-third of (3) ___________________ wasted globally." The government talked about solutions to the food waste problem. First, schools could raise children's (4) ___________________ from a young age. Secondly, supermarkets could sell vegetables they (5) ___________________ they are the "wrong" shape. Finally, "sell-by" dates and "best before" labels need to change. Good food is thrown away (6) ___________________ labels.

The politician said (7) ___________________ much food was socially and environmentally unacceptable. He said: "Socially, (8) ___________________ that people are going hungry and using food banks when so much [food] (9) ___________________." He added that: "Environmentally, it is a disaster, because energy and resources are (10) ___________________ food to end up rotting in landfills (11) ___________________ a climate-changing gas." He also asked supermarkets to sell vegetables that have a funny shape. He said: "It’s ridiculous that perfectly good vegetables are wasted simply because (12) ___________________ shape."

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheU.K.governmentsaidathirdoftheworld'sfoodiswasted.Itsaidthish
ighlevelis"unacceptable".Over7milliontonsoffoodiswastedintheUKe
veryyear.Apoliticiansaid:"One-thirdoffood…islostorwastedglobal
ly."Thegovernmenttalkedaboutsolutionstothefoodwasteproblem.Fi
rst,schoolscouldraisechildren'sawarenessaboutitfromayoungage.S
econdly,supermarketscouldsellvegetablestheythrowawaybecauset
heyarethe"wrong"shape.Finally,"sell-by"datesand"bestbefore"labe
lsneedtochange.Goodfoodisthrownawaybecauseoftheselabels.The
politiciansaidthrowingawaysomuchfoodwassociallyandenvironment
allyunacceptable.Hesaid:"Socially,itisascandalthatpeoplearegoingh
ungryandusingfoodbankswhensomuch[food]isbeingwasted."Headd
edthat:"Environmentally,itisadisaster,becauseenergyandresources
arewasted…onlyforthefoodtoenduprottinginlandfillswhereitproduce
s…aclimate-changinggas."Healsoaskedsupermarketstosellvegetab
lesthathaveafunnyshape.Hesaid:"It’sridiculousthatperfectlygoodve
getablesarewastedsimplybecausethey'reafunnyshape."

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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