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Did you know how much food waste contributes to climate change?
Every year, approximately one-third of the world's food is discarded. Food waste is ubiquitous in production, processing, distribution, retail, and consumption. According to a report by the United Nations Environment Program, a comprehensive analysis in 2021 shows that food waste is not only a challenge faced by various countries, but also one of the main factors affecting climate change.
Global food waste produces greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 3.3 billion tons of carbon dioxide every year, equivalent to 8%-10% of the total emissions of all countries.
According to the analysis, a total of 9.31 million tonnes of food was wasted, 61% of which came from households, 26% from food services and 13% from retail. The impact of food waste is not limited to the environment, but also related to global food security, so how to reduce food waste is crucial.
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 aims to halve global food waste per person by 2030 and reduce food losses in production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.
Food waste and loss not only contributes directly to climate change, but also involves losses in land use, water resources and biodiversity. When food waste occurs, associated land, water and other ecological resources are also lost. The most effective way to reduce food waste is to start at the source, through raising industry awareness and educating consumers. Where waste cannot be avoided, recycling and other methods should be given top priority to minimize waste.
Among the food waste treatment options, food donation is one of the best methods, followed by feed, resource recycling, and finally landfill disposal, which is the main source of greenhouse gases such as methane.
According to statistics, the global energy waste caused by food waste every year is equivalent to an energy loss of 1144 kcal per person per day. This makes dealing with food shortage and food security issues even more urgent. Governments and organizations are working hard to promote policies to address this issue, including research on the unequal distribution of food profits. The overall scope and seriousness of food waste prompts us to rethink how to deal with this issue.
Definition and background
The definition of food waste varies from organization to organization. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations considers food loss and waste to be the reduction in quality and quantity of food throughout the supply chain, and this process can occur at all stages of production, processing and consumption. Additionally, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency divides food waste into three categories: excess food, food waste, and food loss, giving us a clearer understanding of the various forms of food waste.
Food loss occurs from harvest to sale, while food waste occurs at the retail and consumer levels.
Different international organizations and government departments hold different views on the definition and treatment of food waste. Not only does this make data comparisons difficult, it also poses problems for global efforts to reduce food waste. In the EU, food waste is defined as any product that is intended to be given to humans but is discarded or intended to be discarded. In the United States, food waste includes uneaten food and food preparation waste.
Degree of impact
The study found that if the world could use human-edible food more efficiently, it could potentially benefit up to 350 million people. This fact shows that by redistributing food, we can not only reduce waste, but also change the lives of many people. All this requires the joint efforts of enterprises, governments and consumers, starting from every link.
If we can eliminate the resource loss caused by food waste, we will be better able to meet the challenge of climate change.
In the face of increasingly severe climate change, food management and utilization are urgent. Everyone has a role to play, whether it's choosing not to waste food, participating in community food sharing events, or supporting policies to reduce waste. Crucially, this fight against food waste requires global cooperation.
Who can be the catalyst for change in this huge challenge and push society in a sustainable direction?
