We’re shocked by the widespread hunger in faraway countries. Unfortunately, same problem exists right here in America today and even in New York. And yet, despite this problem, the amount of food that’s wasted is absolutely mind-boggling.
According to the U.N.’s “Environment Programme’s Food Waste Report 2024” (UNEP), 783 million people around the world suffer from hunger. And it adds that more than $1 trillion worth of quality food is thrown away each year.
But there’s even more to this story. Statista’s Anna Fleck states that “food waste generates an estimated 8%-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions and takes up the equivalent of nearly 30% of the world’s agricultural land.” Why is there so much waste?
Food Wasted All Over
The country with the dubious honor of wasting the most food is China, surprising since it is dependent on imports for a significant amount of the food it consumes. In any case, the UN report says that nearly 107 million tons of food were wasted there, which is much more than in any other country by a wide margin. The 78.2 million tons of food wasted in India puts that country in second place on this list. There’s no mystery as to why these two countries finished in the top two on this list: They have the largest populations.
The U.S. came in third with 24.7 million tons, Brazil in fourth with 20.3 million, and Germany in fifth with 6.5 million. Other studies had somewhat different results and, in some cases, were dramatically different both in terms of the quantity of food wasted and which countries wasted the most. By comparison, total food waste in Russia is an estimated 16 million tons. So, while these estimates vary sharply, all agree on the main point: the quantity is enormous.
According to AI Overview, some countries are especially careful not to waste food, and France is one of those. (AI Overview is a feature of Google Search that uses AI to help users find information and answer questions.)
AI Overview points out that in 2016, France became the first country to ban supermarkets from throwing away edible food. Instead, retailers are instructed to redistribute that food, and violators are subject to fines and even jail time. Norway also supports this objective. It is working aggressively to cut food waste in half by 2030 and grocers there donate and discount food that’s nearing the “Best Before” date. Their example is followed by Denmark, Japan, and Canada.
Surprisingly High
Statista states, “The UNEP estimates that in 2022 the world produced 1.05 billion tons of food waste across the retail, food service and household sectors.” A closer look at these numbers shows that the average amount of food wasted per individual that year was a surprisingly high 290 pounds.
As for the foods wasted most often, this too is surprising, as they include high quality, popular, and tasty items. For example, over 240 million slices of bread are tossed every year and 5.9 million glasses of milk are poured down the drain. In addition, staples including potatoes, cheese, and apples – foods that people frequently purchase and consume during meals and as snacks – are also discarded regularly. And salads are thrown away even more often.
While these numbers make the point, “The World Counts” puts this still more bluntly. “The world loses an astounding quantity of food every year,” it says. “It’s mind blowing, but a third of all food for human consumption in the world is lost or wasted.”
Prevention, The Best Cure
Is there a way to stop or at least limit that amount of food that’s wasted? The answer is “Yes,” and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) offers the following suggestions to do that. They are easy to follow, and will not only save food but also help people save work and money.
*Shopping and cooking should be done carefully and preferably with a plan, rather than making on-the spot decisions at the supermarket and subsequently cooking excessive quantities of food. “Aim to cook and serve the right portions for the number of people you are feeding,” says the EPA. “Freeze, pickle, dehydrate, can, or make jam/jelly from surplus fruits and vegetables -- especially abundant seasonal produce. And don’t leave perishable food at room temperature for more than two hours.”
“Supermarkets, restaurants and consumers are responsible for the majority of food waste in the U.S. and other developed countries,” according to the UC Davis. “Grocery stores contribute to food waste by encouraging consumers to buy more than they need, overstocking shelves, or inaccurately predicting shelf life.
*Food needs to be stored carefully. Your fridge should be set to the right temperature and food stored in sealed containers. Extra food can be donated to local food banks and comparable organizations.
*Understand food labels. ‘Best if used by’ and ‘sell by” dates are manufacturers suggestions for quality, not safety dates. Even scraps may be useful.”
It’s unfortunate that so much food is wasted, but easy to understand how this happens. Sometimes we cook too much to avoid having to cook the following day. We purchase too much food because it looks so appetizing on supermarket shelves. And we’re too quick to throw away leftovers because it doesn’t have the aroma, appearance, or taste of freshly cooked food.
And in the process, “We indirectly waste the water and energy used to produce, package and transport food from the farm to our plates,” stopwaste.org points out. “This waste creates significant environmental impacts and is costly to family budgets.”
But this may all be about to change. Gradually the world may be wasting less food – not for altruistic reasons, but for very practical ones. Food is becoming more expensive, and in some areas, scarce at any price, and this point is beginning to hit home. The unfortunate people who were impacted by two major hurricanes in Florida and other states understand what wondering where their next meal will come from is like, and their experiences remind us to appreciate the food we are blessed with and not waste it.
May we all be blessed with a healthy and happy New Year.
Sources: allaboutfeed.net; bloomberg.com; epa.gov; reuters.com; rivercottage.net; statista.com; stopwaste.org; theworrldcounts.com; ucdavis.edu ;zerohedge.com; AI Overview
Gerald Harris is a financial and feature writer. Gerald can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
