Global food waste and hunger co-exist in a paradox. On the one hand, millions of tons of food are wasted each year, primarily in wealthy, developed countries. Meanwhile, almost 10% of the global population suffers from food insecurity and malnutrition, mostly in low-income regions. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations defines food waste as the decrease in the quantity or quality of food resulting from decisions and actions by retailers, food service providers and consumers.
The scale of the problem
Globally, an estimated 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted every year. At the same time, 828 million people go to bed hungry every night, with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 2, which is zero hunger, still far from being realised. The environmental impact of this waste is equally shocking. Food waste generates an estimated 8% to 19% of global greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). If food loss and waste were classified as a country, it would rank as the third largest emitter of GHGs, after China and the US, with a carbon footprint of 3.3 billion tons of CO₂.
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Food waste in wealthy vs developing countries
The causes and nature of food waste differ significantly between high-income and low-income nations. In high-income countries, most food waste occurs at the consumer and retail levels. Supermarkets discard cosmetically imperfect food and households throw away uneaten or expired meals. In wealthier countries, food is commodified, and market forces often dictate that surplus food is discarded rather than redistributed to those in need.
Food waste in low-income countries primarily happens at the post-harvest and processing stages due to poor infrastructure, lack of storage and inadequate transportation systems. Crops are often lost before reaching markets due to spoilage, pests or improper handling.
The environmental costs of food waste
The production of food requires enormous amounts of water, energy and land. It takes 1,800 gallons of water to produce a single pound of beef, and other foods such as rice, wheat and fruits also have significant water and energy requirements. When food is wasted, all these resources are squandered. Agriculture already accounts for 70% of global freshwater use, and the energy used in growing, processing, packaging and transporting food represents around 30% of global energy consumption. Then there is the biodiversity crisis. The land used to grow wasted food, which accounts for 28% of the world’s agricultural land, is used to produce food that is never eaten. This leads to land degradation, driven by deforestation and over-farming, and leads to a loss of biodiversity, reducing the planet’s ability to store carbon and combat climate change.
Solutions to the paradox
Addressing food waste requires systemic changes at multiple levels of policy, technology and culture, such as the establishment of redistribution networks. Charities and organisations such as Feeding America and Too Good To Go help to reroute surplus food from retailers and restaurants to those in need. Expanding these programmes globally could bridge the gap between food waste and food insecurity.
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By GlobalDataSome countries have passed laws to reduce food waste. In 2016, France brought in a law that made it illegal for supermarkets to discard edible unsold food, requiring them to donate it instead. The law was enforced with fines of up to €3,750 ($4180) per infraction. In the same year, Italy also passed food waste legislation. Its law aims to reduce food waste at every step of the supply chain, focusing on the donation and distribution of food waste without emphasising punishment. The Italian law encourages businesses to donate or distribute wasted food through tax rebates
Time for action
The environmental and economic costs of food waste are unsustainable. From GHG emissions to resource depletion, food waste is driving environmental degradation while contributing to climate change. Reducing food waste offers a critical opportunity not only to protect the environment but also to create a more equitable and efficient global food system that can support both economic growth and social well-being.
