UN: World wasting 19% of its food as 783M people face chronic hunger

NAIROBI, Kenya — The world wasted an estimated 19% of the food produced globally in 2022, or about 1.05 billion metric tons, according to a new United Nations report.

The U.N. Environment Programme’s Food Waste Index Report, published Wednesday, tracks the progress of countries to halve food waste by 2030.

The U.N. said the number of countries reporting for the index nearly doubled from the first report in 2021. The 2021 report estimated 17% of the food produced globally in 2019, or 1.03 billion tons, was wasted, but authors warned against direct comparisons because of the lack of sufficient data from many countries.

The report is coauthored by UNEP and Waste and Resources Action Programme, an international charity.

Researchers analyzed country data on households, food service and retailers. They found each person wastes about 174 pounds of food annually, equal to at least 1 billion meals wasted worldwide daily.

Most of the waste — 60% — came in households. About 28% came from food service, or restaurants, with about 12% from retailers.

“It is a travesty,” said co-author Clementine O’Connor, the focal point for food waste at UNEP. “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 report comes at a time when 783 million people around the world face chronic hunger and many places facing deepening food crises. The IsraelHamas war and violence in Haiti have worsened the crisis, with experts saying famine is imminent in northern Gaza and approaching in Haiti.