Food Waste Facts

33 Food Waste Facts & Statistics

Food waste may occur at any stage of the food supply chain, such as processing, retail, and consumption. As our compilation of food waste facts shows, now more than ever, it is evident that global food waste has become a significant issue we need to address.

Beyond food products, we also waste resources such as fuel and water through the entire supply chain process. This wastage is a leading cause of severe depletion of resources and food insecurity.

Eventually, if we don't turn things around, food scarcity will set in, causing malnutrition or millions of deaths, especially in developing nations. Per capita global food waste is a crucial factor we need to address to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

We've gathered 33 food waste statistics and facts to highlight how they affect food production, the economy, people, and the planet. We'll also address the global efforts to reduce food waste with practical solutions.

33 Food Waste Facts

Food Waste Statistics
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General food waste facts

#1- Developing countries suffer more food losses during agricultural production, while in the middle- and high-income regions, food waste at the retail and consumer level is higher1

Sub-Saharan Africa wastes as much as 230 million tonnes of food yearly. Nearly 25 percent of people in developing nations are battling food crises and malnourishment because of food waste. Recent data says South Africa records a massive loss of 10 million tonnes of food. When reducing food waste, we, in turn, improve food availability and reduce stresses on natural resources.

#2- The direct economic consequences of food waste (excluding fish and seafood) run to the tune of $750 billion annually1

Food waste does significant harm. Working out a solution starts with reducing perishable food waste in households. It's better to store leftovers and implement policies that encourage food preservation.

#3- The annual value of food wasted globally is $1 trillion, and it weighs about 1.3 billion tonnesref

#4- An area larger than China is used to grow food that is never eaten1

#5- In Europe alone, 29 million tonnes of dairy products are lost or wasted every year2

We waste food because it's in excess, but this isn't right and will only put more pressure on the natural sources we get food from, including the animals.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FOA) recorded that 29 million tonnes of milk were lost every year. Cows consume plenty of water, and if we continue doing this, dairy products and water may become scarce.

We Waste All Sorts of Food

#6- Almost half of all the fruits and vegetables produced are wasted2

#7- Of the 263 million tonnes of meat produced globally, over 20% is lost or wasted2

The loss of tons of food can lead to food insecurity, which occurs when people face severe challenges and have limited access to nutritious food. Global food production will increase to 60 percent, enough to feed around 9 billion people by 2050. However, pulling that off won't be accessible if we keep wasting so much food and natural resources.

The good thing is that we can stop this. How? By growing awareness and sharing relevant facts about creating sustainable food management practices with the people around us. We need to develop educational programs that target those who are unaware of the facts about food waste and encourage consideration of what we buy at grocery stores through smart eating.

#8- Every year, 22% of the global production of oilseeds and pulses is lost or wasted2

#9- The United States is the global leader in food waste, with Americans discarding nearly 40 million tons of food every yearref

Economics of Food Waste

Much of the food we throw away often goes underground and in combustion sites. Discarding excess food at both retail and consumer levels pollutes the environment. On the other hand, keeping food waste in check will save money you'd otherwise use to prepare another meal or buy fresh food produce.

As consumers, we must learn to cut down on the amount of food we buy to reduce food waste. You have more to eat than you think. Consider storing your leftovers in your refrigerator and choosing a day to finish them instead of discarding them. We have another nine food waste tips for people seeking guidance on food waste prevention.

#10- Businesses stand to generate $1.9 billion of profit each year by adopting strategies like food waste tracking and analytics to measure and prevent food waste, right-sizing portions, and improving inventory and cold chain management3

#11- Albeit $11.4 billion worth of recyclable packaging is wasted every year, statistics show that the environmental impact is less severe than the impact of wasted food5

Effects of food waste on the environment

Fishing Trawler
Photo by Arthur Goldstein on Unsplash

#12- 8 percent of fish caught globally are thrown back into the sea. In most cases, they are dead, dying, or severely damaged2

Trawlers throw fish back into the sea because they don't have the license to harvest that particular species of fish, or they must not exceed the harvest target set by the regulating bodies.

Ironically, these same rules set to prevent overfishing and improve sustainability keep promoting excessive wastage. Most fish will be released back into the sea, dead or severely damaged due to fishing gear and techniques.

This act of wasting food also increases water pollution and threatens ocean biodiversity. We can curb it by tightening fishing regulations and improving the selectivity of fishing methods.

#13- Uneaten food equates to Americans throwing out as much as $218 billion each year, most of which ends up rotting in landfills, where it emits harmful greenhouse gases4

Between 2011 and 2012, some experts discovered that the US lost 15.4 billion dollars of retail food annually. Fruit losses, most of it perfectly good food, were around 12.3%-that's enough to feed 5.3 million people. They also found that US households were the most significant food wasters. About 76 billion pounds of household foods ended up in the trash can. This costs 450 dollars per person annually.

The plans of the federal government to cut down wasted food by 50 percent by 2030 are in full gear across production and supply chains. For instance, states like Connecticut, Vermont, and California have implemented laws tackling food waste. In Vermont, food donations climbed to 40 percent from 2015 to 2016, an improvement of 30 percent from the previous year.

Related read: 12 Worst Foods For The Environment And 7 Greener Swaps.

Climate Impacts

#14- South Africans dispose of about 90% of waste in landfills, where the food-waste component leads to the production of methane gas and carbon dioxide6

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas contributing to climate change, having 28–36 times more environmental impact than carbon dioxide.

#15- Estimates suggest that by 2050, emissions from food loss and waste could reach between 5.7 and 7.9 Gt CO2 per year, an increase from 2011 to 2.5 times at the lower bound and 3.5 times at the upper bound7

#16- We use 25 percent of the world's freshwater supply to grow food that is never eaten8

#17- Producing food that we don't consume requires roughly 20 percent of America's cropland, fertilizers, and agricultural water—and generates greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 37 million passenger vehicles each year9

#18- In terms of GHG emissions associated with food loss and waste, the biggest contribution is from cereals and pulses (over 60 percent), followed by roots, tubers, and oil-bearing crops10

Food waste post-harvest

#19- 14 percent of food produced is lost from the post-harvest stage up to, but excluding, the retail stage10

Fruits and vegetables usually suffer massive hits from food waste compared to cereals and pulses on farms. Harvesting, poor handling, and inadequate storage contribute to on-farm losses resulting in organic waste.

This food waste fact is appalling, and it's imperative to identify critical loss points to resolve the issues of on-farm losses. More so, countries suffering from middle to heavy food losses should proactively step up efforts to tackle the problems.

#20- 44 percent of fruit and vegetables end up as waste in South Africa, and most of it happens before it reaches the supermarket shelves11

Yearly, South Africa loses one-third of the 31 million tonnes of food produced locally. As shown in this food waste fact, fruit and vegetable wastage contributes significantly to the loss, especially at the retail level.

Supermarket chains, restaurants, and the busy lifestyle of most South Africans play a considerable role in this trend. France is fixing this problem by giving leftovers to charities, but this move remains illegal in South Africa.

Nevertheless, the South African government needs to review its current legislation to record any success.

#21- An estimated average of 27 percent of fish is lost or wasted between landing and consumption12

Food waste in the household/by consumers

Vegetables in the store
Photo by Ashley Winkler on Unsplash

#22- In industrialized countries, consumers throw away 286 million tonnes of cereal products2

How much food do we waste? - Around 88 million tonnes of food is wasted in the EU every year. That's 173 kilograms per person and a staggering 170 million tonnes of CO2 gas from food pollution!

According to FAO, 55 million people in the EU didn't have access to good meals in 2014 because of food loss. Food waste is already a global problem, and it's important to make swift changes to stop this menace.

For instance, refrigerate leftover food instead of stuffing the excess into bin bags. Besides, create a shopping list to avoid impulsive buying and use leftovers. Further, food scraps and other leftovers can make for everything from soup through stock, and a little creativity can go a long way. You can also freeze unused food for later and read up on food preservation to make food last longer and our ideas to make use of food scraps.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) have shared their food recovery hierarchy (see here) that helps people understand the actions that they can take to reduce food waste.

Additionally, with many people going hungry in our cities, if you have used food left at home that isn't perishable, like cans or dried goods, consider donating them to food banks to help someone else enjoy a good meal.

#23- An average of 68 percent of all food discarded (as tracked in kitchen diaries) was potentially edible4

Restaurant kitchens

A lot of the food we throw away is edible. Meanwhile, approximately 4-10 percent of food from restaurant kitchens ends up as pre-consumer waste. For instance, McDonald's says its employees must dump all fries in the trash can after 7 minutes, while they must discard burgers after 20 mins. These actions, and similar elsewhere, contribute to more food waste. Additionally, we can trace post-consumer waste to excessive portion size.

More Statistics

#24- In 2016, Danish households generated 80 ± 6 kg/year of unavoidable food waste and 103 ± 9 kg/year avoidable food waste13

#25- Home composting can potentially divert up to 150 kg of food waste per household per year from local collection authorities1

#26- In North America & Oceania alone, 5 814 000 tonnes of roots and tubers are wasted at the consumption stage alone2

#27- By 2016, in the European Union, food waste from the consumer level represented 46% of the total14

#28- Every year, every person wastes an average of 173 kg of food14

#29- One week of avoidable household food waste represents 5,000 liters of water. Consider that the average five-minute shower uses 35 liters of water. Wasted avoidable food items represented close to 143 showers per weekref

#30- One week of avoidable household food waste represented 3,366 calories. The equivalent of the recommended daily caloric intake for 1.7 children or 2.2 adults. That is equivalent to five adult meals, or seven child meals wasted per weekref

#31- One week of avoidable household food waste represented 23.3 kilograms of Carbon dioxide. Equating to 1.2 tons of carbon dioxide per year — one-quarter of the emissions from a car driven for a year or 2.8 barrels of oil consumedref

#32- The average amount of food wasted by households (including inedible parts) was 3.5 pounds per person per week, approximately 68 percent of which was potentially edible4

#33- According to research conducted by NRDC, the general trend is that smaller households waste more food per capita4

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7 Porter, S. D., Reay, D. S., Higgins, P., & Bomberg, E. (2016). A half-century of production-phase greenhouse gas emissions from food loss & waste in the global food supply chain: Science of The Total Environment, 571, 721-729. doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.07.041
8 Hall, K. D., Guo, J., Dore, M., & Chow, C. C. (2009). The Progressive Increase of Food Waste in America and Its Environmental Impact. PLoS ONE, 4(11). doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0007940
13 Edjabou, M. E., Petersen, C., Scheutz, C., & Astrup, T. F. (2016). Food waste from Danish households: Generation and composition. Waste Management, 52, 256-268. doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2016.03.032
14 Stenmarck, Åsa & Jensen, Carl & Quested, Tom & Moates, Graham. (2016). Estimates of European food waste levels. 10.13140/RG.2.1.4658.4721.
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