My thanks to our colleagues at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for hosting this event on the fourth International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste – an issue that strikes at the heart of many challenges the world faces.
Last week, the nations of the world gathered for the UN General Assembly and the 2023 SDG Summit. These nations committed to taking renewed and urgent action for people and planet in pursuit of sustainable development.
This urgent action is sorely needed. Progress on individual goals is either crawling or reversing. Millions more people have fallen into poverty. Hunger and malnutrition have risen. Climate change is growing more ferocious by the year. Nature, the basis of health and prosperity, is being beaten, bruised and buffeted.
Humanity is marching towards the brink of disaster. The poorest and most vulnerable are at the front, being crowded over the edge. But nobody is safe. If humanity keeps blindly tramping in the same direction, everyone will eventually fall.
But if we know one thing, it is that crises can bring out the best in people. Their ingenuity. Their drive. Their desire to help others. We must all show these qualities now – particularly those with the power to bring change in high-impact areas, such as agri-food systems.
Agri-food systems are a major driver of the triple planetary crisis: the crisis of climate change, the crisis of nature and biodiversity loss, and the crisis of pollution and waste. These systems belch out greenhouse gas emissions, convert virgin ecosystems, and pump too many fertilizers, pesticides and antibiotics into nature. By driving the triple planetary crisis, agri-food systems are undermining their own ability to deliver nutritious food, livelihoods and profits.
So, we need a sustainable agri-food system transition that provides healthy and nutritious food for everyone. That slows climate change and builds resilience. That enhances livelihoods. And that protects the health of people, animals and ecosystems.
Tackling food loss and waste can contribute to all these goals. Almost 30 per cent of the world’s agricultural area is used to produce food that is lost or wasted. All those inputs, all that nature, all those emissions, all that money, work and sweat to produce food that feeds nobody.
On the other hand, halving food waste and reducing losses, as called for in SDG target 12.3, would bring massive gains. Food security. Climate mitigation. Protection for nature and biodiversity. A reduced burden on water – which is crucial in a world facing growing climate disruption.
Attention and action on food loss and waste is growing. For example, the connection between food waste and biodiversity loss is now recognized in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), which also specifically calls for halving global food waste by 2030 in Target 16.
Now we must hit the targets we have set. Allow me to highlight three ways to do this.
One, stronger consumer education and policies.
Some 17 per cent of food is wasted at retail and consumer level, much of it in households. And this is not just a high-income country problem. This is why UNEP’s Regional Food Waste Working Groups are assisting 25 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to act on food waste. And with Champions 12.3, UNEP published a consumer guide to demonstrate how governments, cities, businesses, NGOs and the chef community can help everyone waste less food.
Food businesses can do much to help their customers reduce food waste at home. By using their advertising channels to raise awareness. By avoiding promotions that encourage customers to buy more than they need. By using the retail environment to share solutions. And by selling loose produce – which also reduces plastic waste, contributing to global efforts to end plastic pollution.
Two, better cold chain management.
Lack of access to refrigeration along the food chain creates a vicious cycle of food waste and income loss – particularly in developing countries. Scaling up cold chain infrastructure, powered by clean energy, can ensure that products are refrigerated from harvest to plate, while minimizing the climate impact.
The UNEP-led Cool Coalition is supporting countries on National Cooling Action Plans, with specific targets on cold chains. UNEP has partnered with India on a programme to accelerate investment in cold chains and is providing in-depth support to two states. In Rwanda, meanwhile, the UK, UNEP and FAO are supporting the Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Cooling and Cold Chain.
Three, boosting data.
Countries need food waste data to create a case for action, track progress and understand which interventions work. While there is more to do, data collection is improving. UNEP’s research has uncovered double the number of data points on food waste around the world. Look out for UNEP’s Food Waste Index Report 2023, coming up at the end of the year, for a full update.
So, friends, we are making progress. But we need to up the pace.
On the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, I call on governments, companies, institutions and individuals to align with international goals to reduce food loss and waste. Through integrating food loss and waste reduction into national climate strategies. Through legislation that diverts food waste from landfills. Through behavioural science that shows which consumer interventions are most effective. And more.
Reducing food loss and waste is, in many ways, a low-hanging fruit in the global push for sustainable development. Let us not allow it to fall to the ground and rot.
