Food waste harms environment and society

Food waste creates green-house gas emissions and is a waste of natural resources used in food production.​

Food waste in numbers

Consumers have contributed to the rising amount of food waste by misinterpreting expiry labels, discarding ugly food at the grocery store & bulk food purchases.

105

kg
An average of 105kg fresh food is wasted by households in Europe and North America.

88 million

tonnes
The EU generates 88 million tonnes of food waste annually. Households alone, account for 50% of the total amount.

$1500

/year
The food waste of a typical 4-person household amounts to $1500/year.

30% of food is lost

30% of annual food production is lost or wasted.

43 million

43 million people can’t afford a qualitymeal every second day in the EU.

-25% of food waste

25% reduction in waste food could cover the nutritional needs of people around the world suffering from food insecurity.

9,7 billion people

With the global populationexpected to reach 9,7 billion by 2050, ensuring global food security is an important agenda.

This translates to 1.3 Billion tonnes of food waste-In a world where millions are suffering from food insecurity.

Causes of food waste

Farmers produce excess food
out of anticipation of poor weather
or otheradverse conditions.

Fresh produce, meat and fish
spoil rapidly due to the lack of
proper transportation and packaging.

Supermarkets displaylarge
quantities ofproducts that reach
their sell-by date before being sold.

Flying money

Households buy more
food than needed.

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Food products require processing, packaging, transportation and distribution to retail outlets. Inefficiencies along these value chains contribute to food waste.

Consequences of food waste

Environmental impact

The FAO warned that 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted annually, thereby causing landfills, food shortages and a loss of resources used in food production.

Global emissions

CO2 chart

Food waste triggers global GHG-emissions that ranks 3rd behind the USA and China.

Landfills from food waste occupy 3 times the surface of the EU.

66%
Food waste increases agricultural activities that threatens the natural habitat of 66% of the world’s plants and animals.

The global food waste is sized 66,7 million Olympic swimming pools.

Food waste not only creates green-house gas emissions, but results in the waste of natural resources used in food production.

Socio-economic impact

Food waste presents a global economic loss across the value chain. The environmental pollution from food waste exerts a health and financial cost to humans.

$1

Global food waste is valued at $1 trillion each year.

$700

The environmental costs of food waste is estimated at $700 billion.

$900

Presents social costs as a result of the loss to human welfare and quality of life is estimated at $900 billion.

Food waste results in reduced profits for farmers, loss of natural resources, less money for individuals & families- all of which amount to billions of dollars.

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