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According to a new United Nations research, the globe squandered an estimated 19% of its food production in 2022, or approximately 1.05 billion metric tons.
The U.N. Environment Programme’s Food Waste Index Report, released Wednesday, tracks countries’ progress toward halving food waste by 2030.
According to the United Nations, the number of countries reporting for the index has nearly doubled from the first edition in 2021. The 2021 research indicated that 17% of global food production in 2019, or 931 million metric tons (1.03 billion tons), was lost, but the authors cautioned against making direct comparisons due to a lack of data from many nations.
The paper was co-authored by UNEP and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), an international NGO.
Researchers examined country data on homes, food service, and retailers. They discovered that each person wastes approximately 79 kilograms (174 pounds) of food every year, which equates to at least 1 billion meals wasted worldwide each day.
The majority of the waste (60%) comes from houses. roughly 28% came from food service or restaurants, and roughly 12% from merchants.
“It is a travesty,” said co-author Clementine O’Connor, UNEP’s food waste coordinator. “It doesn’t make any sense, and it is a complicated problem, but through collaboration and systemic action, it is one that can be tackled.”
The research comes at a time when 783 million people worldwide suffer from chronic hunger, and many areas are experiencing worsening food crises. The Israel-Hamas conflict and unrest in Haiti have exacerbated the problem, with analysts predicting famine in northern Gaza and nearing in Haiti.
Food waste is also a global concern due to the environmental impact of production, which includes the land and water required to raise crops and animals, as well as the greenhouse gas emissions produced, including methane, a powerful gas that has contributed to approximately 30% of global warming since pre-industrial times.
Food loss and waste contribute 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. If it were a country, it would be ranked third behind China and the United States.
Fadila Jumare, a Nigeria-based project associate at the Busara Center for Behavioral Economics who has researched food waste prevention in Kenya and Nigeria, says the problem exacerbates the disadvantages of many people who are already food insecure and cannot afford good meals.
“For humanity, food waste means less food for the poorest people,” said Jumare, who was not part in the report.
Brian Roe, a food waste researcher at Ohio State University who was not involved in the project, believes the index is critical to reducing food waste.
“The key takeaway is that reducing the amount of food that is wasted is an avenue that can lead to many desirable outcomes — resource conservation, fewer environmental damages, greater food security, and more land for uses other than as landfills and food production,” said Roe, who did not participate in the study.
According to the authors, the survey demonstrated a significant increase in food waste coverage in low- and middle-income nations. Wealthier nations, however, may be expected to take the lead in international cooperation and policy creation to reduce food waste, they said.
According to the research, several governments, regional organizations, and industry groups are forming public-private partnerships to reduce food waste and its impact on climate and water stress. Governments and towns work with businesses along the food supply chain, and businesses agree to quantify food waste.
According to the survey, food redistribution, such as donating surplus food to food banks and charities, is important in reducing food waste among retailers.
Food Banking Kenya, a non-profit organization, collects extra food from farmers, marketplaces, supermarkets, and packing houses and distributes it to kids and needy communities. Food waste is a growing issue in Kenya, where an estimated 4.45 million metric tons (4.9 million tons) of food are wasted each year.
“We positively impact society by providing nutritious food and also positively impact the environment by reducing the emission of harmful gases,” said John Gathungu, the group’s co-founder and executive director.
The authors of the paper stated that they discovered unexpectedly minor differences in per capita home food waste across high- and low-income countries.
According to Richard Swannel, a co-author and director of Impact Growth at WRAP, food waste “is not a rich world problem.” “It is a global problem.”
“The data is really clear on this point: that there is a problem right around the world and one that we could all tackle tomorrow to save ourselves money and reduce environmental impact,” he went on to say.
