PARIS: In 2022, households worldwide wasted one billion meals every day, resulting in what the UN on Wednesday referred to as a “global tragedy” of food waste.
According to the UN’s most recent Food Waste Index Report, businesses and households threw away more than $1 trillion worth of food at a time when almost 800 million people were starving.
Nearly one-fifth of all produce sold on the market, or over 1 billion tonnes of food, was reportedly wasted in 2022, the majority of it by homes. “Food waste is a catastrophe on a worldwide scale. According to a statement from Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Programme, “millions will go hungry today as food is wasted across the globe.”
According to the report, such waste was not only immoral but also a “environmental failure.” Food waste necessitates the conversion of vast areas of land for the production of never-eaten crops, and it emits five times as many greenhouse gases into the atmosphere as the aviation industry.
60% of food is thrown away by families, 28% by hotels, restaurants, and canteens, and 12% by butchers and grocers.
The report, which was co-authored by the nonprofit organization WRAP, is the most comprehensive to date on food waste worldwide and is only the second to be compiled by the UN.
According to UNEP’s Clementine O’Connor, the full scope of the issue has become increasingly apparent as data collecting has improved. She added, “You find more food waste the more you look for.”
Millions of meals wasted
The “billion meals” figure, according to the study, is a “very conservative estimate” and “the real amount could be much higher.” According to WRAP’s Richard Swannell, “For me, it’s just staggering.”
“The amount of food that is wasted annually could actually provide a daily meal for 800 million people who are undernourished worldwide.” He claimed that getting farmers and retailers together had reduced waste and helped distribute food to people in need, and that more such initiatives were required.
In 2022, food services such as restaurants, canteens, and hotels accounted for 28% of all food waste, whereas food retailers including butchers and greengrocers disposed of 12% of it. However, households were the largest offenders, accounting for 60% of the total offenses, or 631 million tonnes.
According to Swannell, a large chunk of this was caused by consumers buying more food than they actually required, judging portion sizes incorrectly, and not consuming leftovers. He added that expiration dates were another problem, with perfectly good vegetables being thrown out because customers mistakenly believed their food had gone bad.
According to the survey, a lot of food was lost during transportation or spoilt due to a lack of refrigeration, especially in the developing countries.
The report stated that, against common opinion, food waste is not limited to wealthy countries and is a global issue. Hotter nations also produced more trash, presumably as a result of consuming more fresh food that had significant amounts of undetectable material.
“Devastating consequences”
Because it was inexpensive to dispose of leftover produce in a landfill, businesses also underestimate the impact of food waste on their bottom line. “Right now, it’s quicker and easier to throw it away because the waste fee is either very low or nonexistent,” O’Connor stated.
