The latest report from the United Nations shows that in 2022, the world will waste 1,05 billion tons of food, equivalent to 1/5 of food while 800 million people are going hungry.
This percentage is even larger if you include the 13% of food lost during transportation from farm to table.
The Food Waste Index 2024 report of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) raises the issue of food distribution because waste is the cause of climate change. “Food waste is a global tragedy while millions of people are going hungry,” said Inger Andersen, director of UNEP.
Food waste in London, UK. Image: CNN
The report distinguishes between “lost food,” food such as rotten vegetables and spoiled meat that is discarded early in the supply chain, and wasted food thrown away by households, restaurants and stores.
Households wasted 631 million tons of food in 2022, 60% of the total while the food service industry accounted for 28% of the waste and retail 12%.
The average person wastes 79 kg of food each year, meaning at least one billion meals are wasted in households every day. It produces 8-10% of the emissions that cause global warming, five times more than the emissions from the aviation industry.
Food needs raw materials and fuel to get to the finished product, including growing land, water and processing systems. Most of the wasted food is put into landfills. When decomposed, it produces methane gas (CH4), causing a greenhouse effect.
The report states that the problem of food waste is more serious in tropical countries because high temperatures make preserving and transporting food difficult and perishable.
Contrary to the popular belief that waste occurs mainly in the rich world. The United Nations report shows that the amount of food thrown away in high- and middle-income countries differs by only 7 kg per capita.
Ngoc Ngan (Follow CNN)
