It is alarming that almost one-third of the food produced worldwide—around 1.3 million tons per year—is lost or wasted. This is more than a statistic. It is a silent crisis that impacts our economy, society, and environment.
What is food waste?
Food waste is edible foods that are discarded anywhere along the food chain – on farms, in shops, restaurants and homes. There are two kinds:
- Food Loss: Occurs before food reaches consumers (e.g. during production, storage and transport).
- Food Waste: This occurs at the consumer or retail level (e.g. throwing out expired food or leftovers).
Food waste is a big problem.
1. Environmental Damage
Wasted food wastes land, water, energy and labour. It is a contributor to:
- Greenhouse Gas Emissions (approximately 8-10% global total)
- Deforestation – and biodiversity loss
- Release of Methane by food in landfills
For example, throwing away an apple also wastes the 70 litres of water that was used to grow it.
2. Economic Loss
Food waste costs the global economy almost $1 trillion per year. Food waste costs money in restaurants, grocery stores and households.
3. Hunger and Inequality
Some people have too much food while others do not. Reduced food waste can help feed millions more hungry people.
Why do we waste so much food?
- Overbuying in supermarkets or markets
- Misunderstanding food labels (“Best before” and “bad after”)
- Standards for cosmetics for Fruits and Vegetables
- Portion sizes at restaurants and homes
- Lacking storage knowledge
Solutions to Reduce Food Waste
You are at Home
- Create a shopping list and plan your meals
- How to store food (e.g. keep herbs in water or refrigerate leftovers).
- Understanding food labels
- Compost food scraps
- You can use apps such as Too Good to Go and OLIO for surplus food businesses.
- Donate food that is no longer needed to food banks or shelters
- Track and reduce waste using AI
- Take-home portions or smaller portion sizes are available.
- Create “ugly” produce sections in supermarkets.
The Government Should:
- Donation and redistribution policies: enforce them
- Support food recovery programs
- Waste reduction education for citizens
- Encourage composting and penalize food waste that can be avoided
The Future of Food Waste
Food waste is an issue we cannot ignore as the world population continues to grow. Reducing food waste is the most effective way to reduce climate change and hunger and save money. It’s not enough to eat everything on your plate. We must rethink how we value and consume food.
Final Thought
Each bite counts. Wasting less food helps more people and protects the environment.
Next time you go to eat, keep in mind the following:
Whatever you save might transform the world.
