From Data to Insight: Exploring the Global Food Waste Paradox
“If food loss and waste were a country, it would be the third biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions on the planet. Food waste also burdens waste management systems, exacerbates food insecurity, making it a major contributor to the three planetary crises of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.” — Inger Andersen in 2021 Food Waste Index Report published by the UNEP
The Significance of Food Waste
Producing more food has been a conventional approach to addressing global food problems, but the perspective on how to resolve food problems has evolved to include a more understanding of the challenges involved. The United Nations has recognised the significance of distributing and consuming food wisely; otherwise, there will be a large amount of food lost or wasted. While increasing the food production is essential for food security and zero hunger, it is also crucial to address how food should be consumed.
Food waste serves as a good indicator of sustainable consumption practices and food security. Consequently, the increasing quantity of food waste emerges as a critical issue, representing a waste of resources, environmental negligence, a catalyst for hunger and food insecurity, an aggravator of climate change, and a contributor to inefficiencies within the food system. In fact, it is indicated in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 that the global food waste should be reduced to half by 2030.
Global Food Waste in 2019
While there is no accurate data covering the amount of global food waste (World Bank, 2023), it is estimated that 931 million tonnes of food — approximately 17% of total food available — were wasted at households, retailers, and restaurants and other food services in 2019 (UNEP, 2021).
On a global scale, an average of 4.81 million tonnes of food was wasted in a single country, with a per capita wastage of 127.31 kilograms. China discarded the largest amount of food waste, and the top 5 countries with a large amount of food waste produced 86.42 million tonnes on average. In addition to this, except for Nigeria, four new countries entered the list of the top 5 countries with a large amount of food waste per capita, recording an average of 210.52 kilograms.
As depicted below, populous countries, including India and the United States, were the major producers of food waste in total. On a per person basis, however, many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa generated a large amount of food waste, along with emerging economies (Malaysia) and developed economies (Israel and Greece).
There are several food waste channels, including households, food service establishments, and retailers. The majority of food waste was originated from households — consisting of up to two-thirds of the total food waste per capita — recording an average of 83.90 kilograms per capita, followed by food service establishments (27.04kg/capita) and retailers (14.82kg/capita). Notably, the Sub-Saharan Africa region was a significant producer of food waste per capita at households.
Food Waste Paradox
Among Sub-Saharan African countries, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Tanzania were the top three food waste producers, not only within households but also across all sectors. Ironically, according to the FAO, Nigeria and Rwanda showed a gradual increase in the share of undernourished people since 2010. Undernourishment refers to “eating less than the energy required to maintain an active and healthy life”, thus it is an indicator for food security and nutrition (Ritchie, Rosado & Roser, 2023).
What does the simultaneous presence of a large amount of food waste and increasing undernourishment mean? It demonstrates that while substantial amounts of food are being wasted, a growing portion of the population is not receiving sufficient nutrition, meaning food is not distributed to or consumed by the people in need. It would not be the only problem in Nigeria and Rwanda.
This paradox highlights the need for a multifaceted approach to deal with inefficiencies that are inherent in the entire food system. By emphasising enhanced food distribution mechanisms, promoting sustainable consumption practices, and reducing food waste, this paradox can be resolved and the way for a more secure and sustainable global food landscape can be paved.
Furthermore, since the paradox demands urgent attention, we, as global citizens, should navigate our societies toward a more sustainable future by embracing responsible consumption habits and raising awareness about the consequences of food waste.
References
Ritchie, H., Rosado, P. & Roser, M. 2023, “Hunger and Undernourishment”, Our World in Data, [Online] Hunger and Undernourishment — Our World in Data.
UNEP, 2021, “Food Waste [Factsheet]”, UN Environment Document Repository, [Online] Food Waste [Factsheet] (unep.org).
World Bank, 2023, “Global Food Loss and Waste”, What a Waste 2.0, [Online] Global Food Loss and Waste (worldbank.org).
Datasets
- Food waste, tonnes: SDG Data App (unep.org)
- Food waste, kg per capita: UNEP Data Catalogue
- Food waste, kg per capita, by sector, 2019: Food waste per capita, 2019 (ourworldindata.org)
- Prevalence of undernourishment: Hunger and Undernourishment — Our World in Data
