Food Waste Index Report 2021
2021
This report from the United Nations Environment Programme presents the most comprehensive data about global food waste. It assesses progress towards Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.3 to halve food waste and reduce food loss across supply chains. Reducing food waste would improve food security, address climate change issues, save money, and reduce pressure on land, water, and waste management systems worldwide. The report found that in 2019, the world generated 931 million tons of food waste; more than half came from households, about a quarter came from food service, and the rest from retail. The report offers global estimates for food waste on the country level but notes that few governments have systems to collect data and prioritize their efforts towards the issue. As data is not widely available, and measurement approaches are variable, the report also provides a new methodology to be used by countries and governments to evaluate food waste. It includes three levels: modeling for approximate estimates, direct measurement of waste by country, and disaggregating data by destination, edible/inedible, and gender. Readers can find the report online and explore the database.
Source:
UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2021. United Nations Environment Programme 2021. https://www.unep.org/resources/report/unep-food-waste-index-report-2021.