Worldwide, 30% of food is lost or wasted - This
averages out to 614 kcal per person every single day, about the same as 10 medium eggs
or 21 large carrots! But wait! What does this have to do with climate change?
When food is lost or wasted, all of the resources that went into making it are wasted too.
Globally this accounts for 1.4 billion hectares of wasted land and 250 km3 of wasted water
every year.
That’s a land area larger than Canada and India put together and enough water to fill
up 100 million Olympic sized swimming pools!
What’s more, food loss and waste are responsible for 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
These emissions not only come from the production and transportation of the wasted food, but
they also come directly from the rotting food itself when it is broken down by microorganisms.
Despite all this waste, in 2019 nearly 1 in 10 people around the world were exposed to
severe food insecurity. Reducing food loss and waste by just 50% would provide enough
food to feed all these people and then some!
Although food losses occur at all stages of the food supply chain, their main cause varies
between countries.
In wealthier countries, more than 40% of food loss and waste occur at the retail and consumer
stage, largely due to consumer behaviour and food supply exceeding demand.
Food losses in lower-income countries mostly occur earlier in the supply chain, due to
poor harvesting techniques, insufficient storage
and cooling facilities, and a lack of infrastructure
for food transport and marketing.
So what can we do to reduce all of this food
loss and waste?
Well, let’s begin at the start of the supply chain: we need to reduce food losses on the
farm itself. Sub-optimal conditions, such as not enough water and too much heat,
significantly
reduce the growth potential of food crops and 20-40% of crops globally are lost to insect
pests, weeds, and diseases.
Global soil quality is also degrading, making it harder for plants to access the nutrients
they need to grow and forcing farmers to rely on artificial fertilizers.
By improving soil quality and exploiting natural interactions between plants, animals, and
their environment, farmers can improve crop yields while reducing waste and resource use.
Providing farmers with effective harvesting technologies will also be important as food
is often lost to damage or spillage during the harvesting process.
One of the biggest causes of food loss in lower-income countries is storage: if food
is left somewhere that is too hot or too damp it can easily spoil or rot. Improving storage
facilities and transport infrastructure can therefore significantly reduce losses: if
lower-income countries had the same access to refrigeration as richer nations, food losses
could be reduced by 25%!
To solve this problem, we need to develop
low-cost, off-grid solutions for food preservation,
such as mobile solar-powered storage.
Food processing and more durable packaging can also prevent food spoilage during storage,
transport, and at the consumer stage, although we would need to consider the sustainability
of the packaging that is used.
Even so, innovation can only get us so far. Retailer and consumer behaviours will also
need to change.
For example, supermarkets set very high standards for what food should look like, meaning that
imperfect food is often discarded even if it is perfectly edible. Embracing these “ugly”
foods at both the retail and consumer levels will significantly reduce how much gets thrown
away.
Restaurants, retailers, and caterers can also reduce their waste by selling food in more
appropriate portions and by donating uneaten goods to those who are unable to afford them.
But what can we do as individuals?
Well, we can start by planning ahead and only buying what we need. We can cook with leftovers
and use our freezers to keep food fresh for longer. As well as encouraging less wasteful
practices, we also need to be more aware of how to store food properly and how to tell
if food is still safe beyond its expiration date.
As the world gets richer, consumer-level food waste is likely to become more and more of
a problem. Therefore, it is vital that people are aware of the impacts of food waste and
what they can do to make a difference.
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