Published by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), the Food Waste Index reports tracks the global and national generation of food and the edible and inedible parts wasted at the retail and consumer levels. The Food Waste Index also allows countries to measure and report on food loss and waste generated in manufacturing processes and halve the per capita food waste as suggested by Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 by 2030.
The Food Waste Index Report 2024 collects data from 93 countries worldwide to estimate food wastage at three levels: food retail, food service, and consumers. The publication in 2024 is focused on introducing a solution-based approach that spotlights methodologies that can deliver food waste reductions at a large scale.
Key Findings:
- Globally, the food of worth more than USD 1 trillion is thrown away every year affecting people and the planet.
- Food waste generates an estimated 8–10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions (including from both loss and waste), and it takes up the equivalent of nearly 30 percent of the world’s agricultural land.
- The regional breakdown of the data shows that northern Africa and western Asia witness the highest average household waste generation with an annual 140 kg per capita and 116 kg per capita of food wasted respectively.
- Although it shows that global food waste data points have doubled since the anticipatory report of 2021, the data gathered for Food Waste Index Report 2024 had gaps and discrepancies, as there was no means to measure waste estimates from even many of the high-income countries.
- There has been little change in the availability and coverage of data on food waste in the retail and food service sectors, with an ongoing lack of accurate nationwide data outside of high-income countries.
- Food waste is an urban issue. With more than half of the global population now living in urban areas, urban centers contribute more to average waste generation.
Actionable Solutions:
- Local government engagement in addressing the food waste issue should be scaled up and prioritized. National governments working closely with cities will ensure that policies are put in place and efforts are sustained to get food out of landfills and into circular and productive use.
- Pub-private partnerships can bring stakeholders together to collaborate and deliver shared goals, thus overcoming some of the challenges of the fragmented food system.
- Promoting awareness and education on food waste will considerably influence consumer behavior to minimize food wastage, and it will encourage sustainable consumption across the globe.
The report concludes that food waste is an economic, environmental, and social problem. Reducing food waste is an opportunity to reduce costs and tackle some of the biggest environmental and social issues of our time: fighting climate change and addressing food insecurity. Halving food waste is a job that can be achieved via a collaborative effort.
Source: https://www.unep.org/resources/publication/food-waste-index-report-2024
