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Worldwide, 30 percent of food is lost or wasted. This averages out to 614 kilocalories per person every single day. When food is lost or wasted, all of the resources that went into making it are wasted too. Globally, this accounts for 1.4 billion hectares of wasted land and 250 kilometers cubed of wasted water every year. That's a land area larger than Canada and India put together and enough water to fill up a 100 million Olympic sized swimming pools. What's more, food loss and waste are responsible for 8 to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions not only come from the production and transportation of the wasted food, but they also come directly from the rotting food itself when it is broken down by microorganisms. Despite all this waste, in 2019, nearly one in 10 people around the world were exposed to severe food insecurity. Reducing food loss and waste by just 50 percent would provide enough food to feed all of these people and then some.
Although food losses occur at all stages of the food supply chain, their main cause varies between different countries. In wealthier countries, more than 40 percent of food loss and waste occur at the retail and consumer stage, largely due to consumer behaviour and food supply exceeding demand. Food losses in lower income countries mostly occur earlier in the supply chain due to poor harvesting techniques, insufficient storage and cooling facilities, and a lack of infrastructure for food transport and marketing. To reduce all of this food loss and waste, we need to start reducing food losses on the farm itself. Sub-optimal conditions, such as not enough water and too much heat significantly reduce the growth potential of food crops and 20 to 40 percent of crops globally are lost to insect pests, weeds and diseases. Global soil quality is also degrading, making it harder for plants to access the nutrients they need to grow and forcing farmers to rely on artificial fertilizers. By improving soil quality and exploiting natural interactions between plants, animals and their environment, farmers can improve crop yields whilst reducing waste and resource use. Providing farmers with effective harvesting technologies will also be important as food is often lost to damage or spillage during the harvesting process.
One of the biggest causes of food loss in lower income countries is storage. If food is left somewhere that is too hot or too damp, it can easily spoil a rot. Improving storage facilities and transport infrastructure can therefore significantly reduce losses. If lower income countries had the same access to refrigeration as richer nations, food losses would be reduced by 25 percent. To solve this problem, we need to develop low cost, off grid solutions for food preservation such as mobile solar powered storage. Food processing and more durable packaging can also prevent food spoilage during storage, transport and at the consumer stage, although we would need to consider the sustainability of the packaging that is used. As the world gets richer, food waste is likely to become more and more of a problem. Therefore, it is vital that people are aware of the impacts of food waste, and what they can do to make a difference.