Topline
About 1.02 billion tons of food was wasted globally in 2019 and roughly 17% of food produced for human consumption goes to waste each year, far more than prior research has indicated, according to a United Nations report published Thursday.
Last month, four U.N. agencies issued a joint report asserting that 2.3 million Yemeni children … [+]
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Key Facts
Individual households were responsible for most of the food waste, accounting for 61% of the total, the U.N. Environmental Programme report found.
Food service accounted for 26%, while 13% was attributable to retail waste.
Given limited data availability and variable measurement approaches, the U.N. researchers said their estimate likely falls short of the actual amount of global waste.
Food waste has become a more pressing issue due to the environmental toll of food production: If food waste were a country, it would be the third biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, behind only China and the United States, said Inger Andersen, the U.N. Environmental Programme’s executive director.
Crucial Quote:
“Food waste burdens waste management systems, exacerbates food insecurity, making it a major contributor to the three planetary crises of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste,” said Andersen.
Key Background:
The U.N. asserts prior research has minimized the scope of the problem and the report includes a methodology for countries to better track food waste at the household, food service and retail level. The agency has hopes to halve food waste by 2030. “Let us all shop carefully, cook creatively and make wasting food anywhere socially unacceptable while we strive to provide healthy, sustainable diets to all,” said Andersen.
What To Watch For:
Beginning next month, the U.N. Environment Programme will establish regional food waste working groups in Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and West Asia to develop food baselines and strategies.
Surprising Fact:
The report found household food waste isn’t limited solely to high-income countries. Household per capita food waste generation is found to be “broadly similar” across country income groups, which implies that “action on food waste is equally relevant in high, upper‑middle and lower-middle-income countries.”
Tangent:
Last month, four U.N. agencies issued a joint report asserting that 2.3 million Yemeni children under the age of 5 will suffer acute malnutrition this year, up 22% over 2020, which could lead to the death of 400,000.
Big Number:
$1,500. That’s the amount of food a family of four in the United States wastes each year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Further Reading:
FOOD WASTE INDEX REPORT 2021 (UN)
UN Warns 400,000 Yemeni Children May Starve To Death In 2021 (Forbes)
17% of food production globally wasted, UN report estimates (AP)