Over a third of all food produced is lost or wasted each year.
Global food waste is a multifaceted problem that originates in agricultural production and goes all the way to garbage. Along with poverty, a slowing economy, conflict, and natural disasters, food loss is one of the main causes of hunger worldwide.
Here are five worldwide statistics on food waste:
- The global volume of food waste is estimated at 1.6 billion tonnes of "primary product equivalents." Total food wastage for the edible part of this amounts to 1.3 billion tonnes, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization.
- The environmental effect of food waste is also very severe. The carbon footprint is estimated at 3.3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide per year.
- The entire amount of water required to grow food each year that is lost or squandered (250km3) is equal to the Volga River's yearly flow in Russia or three times the size of Lake Geneva.
- The value of this wasted food is estimated to be $230 billion by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).
- When converted into calories, global food loss and waste amount to approximately 24 percent of all food produced. Essentially, one out of every four food calories intended for people is not ultimately consumed by them.
(The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger.)
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