Food Waste Index Report 2024

The Food Waste Index Report 2024 a study jointly authored by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme), a U.K.-based non-profit.

  • The report was released ahead of the International Day of Zero Waste (March 30).
  • The Food Waste Index tracks the global and national generation of food and inedible parts wasted at the retail and consumer (household and food service) levels. UNEP is its custodian.
  • Households across the globe wasted over one billion meals a day in 2022, even as 783 million people struggled with hunger and a third of humanity faced food insecurity.
  • In 2022, there were 1.05 billion tonnes of food waste generated (including inedible parts), amounting to 132 kilograms per capita and almost one-fifth of all food available to consumers.
  • Out of the total food wasted in 2022, 60% happened at the household level, with food services responsible for 28%, and retail 12%.
  • The report stressed the importance of expanding and strengthening data infrastructure to enable the tracking and monitoring of food waste.
  • It pointed out that “many low- and middle-income countries continue to lack adequate systems for tracking progress to meet Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 of halving food waste by 2030, particularly in retail and food services.
  • At present, only four G-20 countries (Australia, Japan, U.K., U.S.) and the European Union have food waste estimates suitable for tracking progress to 2030.
  • Food waste was not a ‘rich country problem’. Average levels of household food waste for high-income, upper-middle, and lower-middle-income countries differing by just 7 kg per capita.
  • Food loss and waste generated 8-10% of annual global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
  • Compared to urban areas, rural ones generally wasted less food, due to greater diversion of food scraps to pets, livestock, and home composting.
  • As of 2022, only 21 countries had included food loss and/or waste reduction in their climate plans or Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

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