KATHMANDU: A recent report released by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) reveals that at least one billion meals are wasted in households across the world every day, amounting to an average of 79kg of food waste per person annually.
The Food Waste Index Report 2024, unveiled by UNEP on Wednesday, highlights that this food waste, including edible items, equates to 1.3 meals per day for individuals suffering from hunger globally.
According to the report, household food waste in Nepal averages 93kg per capita annually, while it stands at 55kg for India and 76kg for China.
“In 2022, the world wasted 1.05 billion tonnes of food, which accounts for one-fifth (19%) of food available to consumers being wasted at the retail, food service, and household levels. This is in addition to the 13% of the world’s food lost in the supply chain, as estimated by FAO, from post-harvest up to and excluding retail,” the report stated.
Defined as ‘food and the associated inedible parts removed from the human food supply chain,’ food waste is described as a market failure in the report, resulting in the disposal of over one trillion US dollars worth of food annually.
The report underscores the extensive links between food waste and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and climate actions, portraying it as an environmental failure that contributes to approximately 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions and utilizes nearly 30% of the world’s agricultural land.
Emphasizing the crucial role of G20 countries, the report urges them to lead international cooperation and policy development to address food waste.
It calls for promoting awareness and education about food waste domestically and sharing expertise with countries just beginning to tackle this issue.
Inger Andersen, Executive Director of UNEP, remarked, “Food waste is a global tragedy. Millions will go hungry today as food is wasted across the world. Not only is this a major development issue, but the impacts of such unnecessary waste are causing substantial costs to the climate and nature.”
The report notes South Asia as having the highest household food waste data points, highlighting the need for targeted efforts in the region to address this issue.
UNEP stresses the importance of addressing food waste at both individual and systemic levels, setting targets, and channeling efforts accordingly.
International collaboration, involving both developed and developing countries, is deemed essential to confront this global challenge.
RSS
Comment