The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
One-fifth of world food thrown out
The world wasted an estimated 19% of the food produced globally in 2022, about 1.15 billion tonnes, a United Nations report reveals. The UN Environment Programme’s (Unep) Food Waste Index Report tracks the progress of countries to halve food waste by 2030.
The UN said the number of countries recorded in the index nearly doubled from the first report in 2021, which estimated that 17% of the food produced globally in 2019, or 1.02 billion tonnes, was wasted.
The report is co-authored by Unep and international charity Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap).
Researchers analysed country data on households, foodservice and retailers.
They found that each person wastes about 80kg (175lb) of food annually, equal to at least one billion meals being wasted worldwide each day.
Most of the waste (60%) came from households. About 28% was from foodservice or restaurants, with about 12% from retailers.
Clementine O’Connor, of Unep, said: “It is a travesty. It is a complicated problem, but it is one that can be tackled.”
The report comes at a time when 783 million people around the world face chronic hunger and many places face deepening food crises.
Food waste is also a concern because of the environmental toll of production, including the land and water required to raise crops and animals, and the greenhouse gas emissions it produces.
Food loss and waste generates 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. If it were a country, it would rank third in the world after China and the US.
Fadila Jumare, a Nigeria-based project associate at the Busara Centre for Behavioural Economics, said: “For humanity, food waste means that less food is available to the poorest population.”
The report showed notable growth in coverage of food waste in low and middle-income countries, the authors said.
They said food redistribution, including donating surplus to foodbanks and charities, is significant in tackling food waste among retailers.
Richard Swannel, director of impact growth at Wrap, said: “Here is a problem that we could all tackle tomorrow to save ourselves money and reduce environmental impact.”