UNITED NATIONS, Oct 17 (IPS) – Food waste has been a major concern for environmentalists and humanitarians for decades. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that about one-third of the world’s food ends up in landfills, equivalent to approximately 1.3 billion metric tons. Conversely, according to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), approximately 3 billion people do not have access to nutritious or sufficient food to maintain a healthy diet. Additionally, food waste has been a major factor in environmental degradation since the start of the Industrial Revolution, and food piled up in landfills releases millions of tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year.
According to the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), approximately 60% of food wasted worldwide occurs at home, totaling 631 million tons. The World Resources Institute estimates that food waste costs the global economy more than $1 trillion annually. This figure is expected to double by 2050.
Food waste is a global problem in high-, upper-middle-, and lower-middle-income countries, with different average levels of food waste generated by households. Nevertheless, most of the world’s food waste occurs in countries with powerful economies and large populations, such as the United States, India, and China. Higher food waste levels are also associated with countries experiencing warmer climates, with higher temperatures contributing to a significant reduction in shelf life.
According to UNEP’s 2024 Food Waste Index report, on average, individuals waste approximately 79 kg of food each year, equivalent to 1.3 meals per day for every person in the world. Excessive consumption exacerbates food price inflation, making food access even more difficult for marginalized communities and developing countries. Reducing global food waste is essential to ensure global food security.
Founder Anuradha Mittal said: “The paradox we live in is that amid intolerable levels of world hunger, recent years have created record highs for food. The use of food for non-food purposes has increased enormously and rapidly. “I’m doing it,” he said. Executive Director of the Auckland Institute.
In June 2024, the World Food Program (WFP) stated that “the world currently produces enough food to nourish every child, woman and man on the planet. Every bit of food that is produced but not eaten at all could be used to feed two billion people.” This is more than double the number of malnourished people in the world.”
Food waste is also an important sustainability issue because vast amounts of essential resources, such as fossil fuels, water, agricultural land, and electricity, are wasted during food production that end up in landfills. About one-third of the world’s arable land is used for agriculture. Additionally, food production accounts for 66% of global water consumption, with the average individual’s daily food consumption being used to produce between 2,000 and 5,000 liters of water.
According to UNEP experts, food waste accounts for almost 10% of total greenhouse gas emissions, which is almost five times the total emissions of the aviation industry. The U.S. National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) added that more than 23% of all greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture. Agricultural exploitation, including deforestation and excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers, are major causes of biodiversity loss and habitat destruction.
Meat production is particularly damaging to the overall health of the planet. “Livestock production has negative impacts not only on carbon emissions, but also on water footprint, water pollution, and water scarcity,” NCBI said. The livestock and meat production industry accounts for at least 18% of total greenhouse gas emissions. According to estimates from the Water Footprint Calculator, it takes more than 2,000 gallons of water to produce one pound of beef.
Like producing food for humans, producing food for livestock can have disastrous effects on the environment. Mittal told IPS that animal feed consists of food grown through intensive industrial agriculture based on fossil fuels or land taken from local and indigenous communities through the degradation of forests, water supplies and biodiversity. “This comes at a very high cost to humanity,” she said.
“This comes at a very high cost to humanity. Food grown through fossil fuel-based, intensive industrial agriculture on land taken from indigenous peoples and communities through the degradation of forests, water and biodiversity is used as animal feed.” told IPS.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports that approximately 26% of all meat products sold are wasted. Researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands estimate that about 18 billion pigs, chickens, turkeys, cows, goats and sheep are discarded during production or packaging before reaching consumers. This study does not describe the seafood industry. According to the World Economic Forum, about 15% of all seafood is wasted every year. About one-third of seafood losses come from land-based processing.
Countries around the world are in the process of adopting cleaner habits in food production and consumerism. In recent years, Denmark has been praised as a ‘champion’ among European countries in reducing food waste. From 2011 to 2017, the Danish government launched the “Stop Food Waste” campaign to encourage capillary retail and non-excessive consumer practices, resulting in a 25% reduction in food waste levels. “Stop wasting food” has recovered more than 300 tons of surplus food since it began operations.
“The UK is the only country with a dual date labeling system, providing both a best before date and a safe before date. France bans waste from grocery stores and ensures that food is still perfectly good to eat. “The United States recently released a draft national strategy to reduce the amount of food sent to landfills, divert surplus food, and implement more sustainable waste management practices,” said Danielle Nierenberg, President of Food Tank. said.
According to WFP, about 9.4% of all children in China are experiencing stunted growth due to severe food insecurity. As China’s population continues to grow, food insecurity and carbon emissions have been top concerns for officials. China, in cooperation with the Central Economic Work Conference, has declared an acceleration plan to adopt clean production and consumption practices.
Through the Food Waste Index, UNEP seeks to halve global food waste levels by 2030 by providing national guidance on safer food production practices. Governments around the world are adopting public-private partnerships to reduce the burden on the environment caused by food production and consumerism. Additionally, the European Union (EU) has launched the ‘Farm to Fork Strategy’, an initiative to provide advice and financial support to industries transitioning to more sustainable processes.
“To address this crisis, an international treaty on the non-proliferation of industrial meat production is the first step to curb the endless expansion of agricultural production for non-food purposes,” Mittal said.
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© Interpress Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Interpress Service
