A new United Nations report revealed that households across all continents wasted over 1 billion meals a day in 2022.
Knewz.com has learned that as these meals were being wasted, 783 million people were affected by hunger and a third of humanity faced food insecurity.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report published on March 27, food waste not only continues to hurt the global economy it also fuels climate change, nature loss, and pollution.
The report, titled UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024, and co-authored with WRAP, a UK-based global non-governmental organization, was published ahead of the International Day of Zero Waste, which falls on March 30.
The report not only covers information on worldwide food waste but also offers guidance that allows countries to improve its data collection on food waste and best practices to reduce food waste.
Some of the key findings (which all cover the year 2022), include:
- 1.05 billion tons of food waste was generated globally (including inedible parts), amounting to 291 pounds per capita and almost one-fifth of all food available to consumers.
- Out of the total food wasted in 2022, 60% happened at the household level, with food services responsible for 28% and retail 12%.
“Food waste is a global tragedy. Millions will go hungry today as food is wasted across the world,” said Inger Andersen, executive director of UNEP, in a statement. “Not only is this a major development issue, but the impacts of such unnecessary waste are causing substantial costs to the climate and nature.”
However, Andersen also stated that if countries make the effort to prioritize the issue, “they can significantly reverse food loss and waste, reduce climate impacts and economic losses, and accelerate progress on global goals.”
While the report says that since 2021 there has been a strengthening of the data infrastructure with more studies tracking food waste, many low- and middle-income countries still don’t have adequate systems for tracking progress to meet the Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 of halving food waste by 2030, particularly in retail and food services.
To date, only four G20 countries – Australia, Japan, the UK, and the U.S – and the European Union have food waste estimates suitable for tracking progress to 2030. Canada and Saudi Arabia are considered to have “suitable” household estimates, with Brazil’s estimate expected in late 2024.
One of the most interesting findings in the report is that the data confirms food waste isn’t just a “rich country” problem. The report found that levels of household food waste in high, upper-middle, and lower-middle-income countries had a discrepancy of just 15.4 pounds per capita.
More food waste per capita per household was found in hotter countries, potentially due to a higher consumption of fresh foods “with substantial inedible parts and a lack of robust cold chains.”
The environmental impacts of food loss and waste were also measured. It was discovered they were responsible for 8-10% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions (almost five times that of the aviation sector).
The report also found significant biodiversity loss taking up the equivalent of almost a third of the world’s agricultural land. The toll of both food loss and waste on the global economy is estimated at roughly $1 trillion.
The report noted that urban areas are expected to particularly benefit from efforts to strengthen food waste reduction and that rural areas generally waste less food, probably due home composting and that food scraps are given to pets and livestock.
As of 2022, only 21 countries have included food loss and/or waste reduction in their national climate plans. The report highlights the need for waste to be addressed at both the individual and at systemic levels.
“With the huge cost to the environment, society, and global economies caused by food waste, we need greater coordinated action across continents and supply chains. We support UNEP in calling for more G20 countries to measure food waste and work towards SDG12.3,” said WRAP CEO Harriet Lamb. “Public-Private Partnerships are one key tool delivering results today, but they require support: whether philanthropic, business, or governmental actors must rally behind programs addressing the enormous impact wasting food has on food security, our climate, and our wallets.”
