Environment: According to the Food Waste Index Report 2021, approximately 931 million tonnes of food was wasted globally in 2019. The report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and partner organisation WRAP, stated that 61 percent of food waste is generated from households, 26 percent from food service, and 13 percent from retail.
“This suggests that 17 percent of total global food production may be wasted,” said the report. This data contrasts sharply with the other major finding in the report which noted that 690 million people were affected by hunger in 2019, and three billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet.
Indian households waste almost 50 kg of food per person or 68.7 million tonnes in a year. In the US, the household food waste estimate is 59 kg per person, or 19.4 million tonnes annually, while China wastes 64 kg per capita per year, or 91.6 million tonnes a year.
The report showed that every country had a substantial amount of food waste, regardless of the income level. It shows that most of this waste came from households. Food loss and waste causes about USD 940 billion per year in economic losses. Reductions in waste can help save money for farmers, companies, and households.
“If we want to get serious about tackling climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste, businesses, governments and citizens around the world have to do their part to reduce food waste,” said Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the UNEP.
The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target 12.3 aims at halving per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels, and reducing food losses along production and supply chains.
Read this article on how we can safeguard our farmers from the projected reduction in supply, demand, and value in the agriculture sector.