UNEP Report: World Wasted 1 Billion Meals Daily in 2022
The executive director of a UN body describes food waste as a global tragedy, noting that millions will go hungry due to food wastage worldwide.
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According to a UN report released on Wednesday, in 2022, over a billion meals were wasted daily worldwide, while 783 million people experienced hunger and a third of the global population faced food insecurity.
The report by the UN Environment Program (UNEP) revealed that nearly one-fifth of all available food per capita, amounting to 132 kg, was wasted. The primary source of food waste was at the household level, accounting for 60%, followed by food services at 28% and retail at 12%.
In the UNEP report, Executive Director Inger Andersen emphasized the global tragedy of food waste, highlighting the impact on millions who go hungry daily. Andersen stressed that addressing food waste is crucial not only for development but also for mitigating climate and environmental costs.
She also expressed optimism, stating that prioritizing this issue can lead to significant reductions in food loss and waste, climate impacts, economic losses, and progress towards global goals.
According to the publication, food waste is not just a "rich country" problem, with levels of household food waste differing in observed average levels for high-income, upper-middle, and lower-middle-income countries by just 7 kg per capita.
Hotter countries, it said, appear to generate more food waste per capita in households, potentially due to higher consumption of fresh foods with substantial inedible parts and a lack of robust cold chains.
The report also drew attention to the fact that food loss and waste generate 8-10% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions, which is "almost 5 times that of the aviation sector."
Meanwhile, the toll of both food loss and waste on the global economy is estimated at roughly $1 trillion.
"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 Harriet Lamb, the CEO of climate action NGO WRAP and co-author of the report.
"This is critical to ensuring food feeds people, not landfills," Lamb urged.
The UN Food Waste Index Report is tracking progress to meet Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 of halving food waste by 2030, particularly in retail and food services.
However, according to the report, many low- and middle-income countries continue to lack adequate systems to reach the goal.
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