World wastes 19% of its food, says UN

According to a recent report by the United Nations, approximately 19 per cent of all food produced worldwide in 2022, equating to around 1.05 billion metric tons, was wasted.

The UN Environment Programme’s Food Waste Index Report, released on Wednesday, monitors the efforts of countries to reduce food waste by half by 2030.

The UN revealed that the number of countries contributing data to the index has almost doubled since the inaugural report in 2021. The 2021 report estimated that 17 per cent of global food production in 2019, or 931 million metric tons, was wasted. However, the authors cautioned against making direct comparisons due to insufficient data from many countries.

The report, a joint effort between UNEP and the international charity Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), analysed data from households, food services, and retailers. The findings revealed that each individual wastes approximately 79 kilograms of food per year, equivalent to a minimum of 1 billion meals wasted globally every day.

The majority of the waste, 60 per cent, originated from households. Food services, such as restaurants, contributed about 28 per cent, with retailers accounting for the remaining 12 per cent.