The International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste is an opportunity to call to action both the public (national or local authorities) and the private sector (businesses and individuals), to prioritise actions and move ahead with innovation to reduce food loss and waste towards restoring and building back better and resilient-ready, food systems.
Why is it important to reduce food loss and waste?Globally, around 14 per cent of food produced is lost between harvest and retail, while an estimated 17 per cent of total global food production is wasted (11 per cent in households, 5 per cent in the food service and 2 per cent in retail).
Food loss and waste undermine the sustainability of our food systems. When food is lost or wasted, all the resources that were used to produce this food -, including water, land, energy, labour and capital - go to waste. In addition, the disposal of food loss and waste in landfills, leads to greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change. Food loss and waste can also negatively impact food security and food availability, and contribute to increasing the cost of food.
Our food systems cannot be resilient if they are not sustainable. With nine years left to reach SDG goal 12, target 12.3; there is an urgent need to accelerate action to reduce food loss and waste.
Key messages
- There is never room for food loss and waste!
- Reducing food loss and waste, provides a powerful means to strengthen the sustainability of our food systems, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve planetary health.
- Recovery and redistribution make good use of surplus food and contribute to improving access to food for the food insecure, preventing food waste and ensuring economic, environmental and social benefits.
- Household food waste is a global challenge – occurring at comparable per person levels regardless of region or country income levels. Behavioural insights can help reduce waste at consumer level.
- Measuring food loss and waste helps countries and companies to understand the scale of the problem, target hotspots, and track progress on Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, halving food waste and reducing food loss across supply chains by 2030.
For additional information on IDAFLW, visit the FAO website: http://www.fao.org/international-day-awareness-food-loss-waste/en/
