Nearly one-fifth of the food produced globally in 2022 was wasted, despite one-third of the world’s population facing hunger. The U.N. Environment Program’s Food Waste Index Report has revealed that out of the 1.05 billion tons of food waste, 60 percent came from households, while the food service and retail sectors were responsible for 28 percent and 12 percent, respectively. This report comes as the U.N. is monitoring countries’ progress in halving food waste by 2030 under the Sustainable Development Goals, with the latest figure being higher than the previous report in 2019.
On average, each person discards 79 kilograms of food annually, equivalent to 1.3 meals per day for those impacted by hunger globally, with almost 30 percent of the global population facing food insecurity. The report also highlighted the impact of food loss and waste on the climate, generating 8 to 10 percent of annual global greenhouse gas emissions. Japan’s food waste decreased by 31 percent in 2020 compared to 2008, making it one of only four countries in G20 and EU with suitable waste estimates to track progress towards target years.
UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen emphasized that unnecessary food waste poses a development issue and substantial costs to the climate and nature. The report called for G20 countries to lead in international cooperation and policy development to achieve the goal and share expertise with other countries starting to address this issue