Nairobi/New York, March 4 – An estimated 931 million tons of food were discarded by households, retailers, restaurants and food services, or about 17 per cent of the total food available to consumers in 2019, the UN Environment Program (UNEP) said in a comprehensive report on food waste’s environmental, social and economic impacts.
UNEP’s Food Waste Index Report 2021, carried out with partner organization Waste and Resources Action Program (WRAP), studied food waste that occurred in retail outlets, restaurants and homes taking into account both food and inedible parts like bones and shells.
Building on the work of the report, UNEP plans to launch regional working groups to discuss how to measure and prevent food waste in order to meet Sustainable Developing Goals by 2030.
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The Nairobi-based UN organization said food waste is substantial and it’s happening in all parts of society regardless of income levels. The study said households topped the list as they discarded 11 per cent of food available at the consumption stage of the supply chain. They are followed by food services and retail outlets with 5 per cent and 2 per cent.
On a global level each person wastes 121 kilograms of consumer level food each year, with 74 kilograms of the waste happening in households.
The report said food that is not consumed is responsible for 8 to 10 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions responsible for global warming.
An estimated 690 million people suffered hunger in 2019 and that the number has sharply increased during 2020 under the pandemic. In addition, some 3 billion people worldwide are unable to afford a healthy diet.
Inger Andersen, the Executive Director of UNEP, said, “Reducing food waste would cut greenhouse gas emissions, slow the destruction of nature through land conversion and pollution, enhance the availability of food and thus reduce hunger and save money at a time of global recession.”
“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. The UN Food Systems Summit this year will provide an opportunity to launch bold new actions to tackle food waste globally.”
“For a long time, it was assumed that food waste in the home was a significant problem only in developed countries,” said Marcus Gover, CEO of WRAP. “With the publication of the Food Waste Index report, we see that things are not so clear cut.
“With only nine years to go, we will not achieve SDG 12 Target 3 if we do not significantly increase investment in tackling food waste in the home globally. This must be a priority for governments, international organizations, businesses and philanthropic foundations.”
For more information: www.unep.org
(Following are explanations provided by UNEP: “food waste” is defined as food and the associated inedible parts removed from the human food supply chain in the following sectors: retail, food service and households.
(“Removed from the human food supply chain” means one of the following end destinations: landfill; controlled combustion; sewer; litter/discards/refuse; co/anaerobic digestion; compost / aerobic digestion; or land application.
Food is defined as any substance – whether processed, semi-processed or raw – that is intended for human consumption.
“Food” includes drink, and any substance that has been used in the manufacture, preparation or treatment of food. Therefore, food waste includes both: • “edible parts”: i.e., the parts of food that were intended for human consumption, and • “inedible parts”: components associated with a food that are not intended to be consumed by humans. Examples of inedible parts associated with food could include bones, rinds and pits/stones.)
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