Photo used for illustrative purposes.

Reducing food loss and waste is crucial for improving food security and nutrition, promoting the efficient use of resources, protecting the environment, and fostering a more equitable distribution of food resources globally, QU Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) said today. 

He made the remarks in a video message to a global virtual event to mark the fifth International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, which falls on 29th September. The event, which also included a message from Inger Andersen, the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and was organised by FAO and UNEP, highlighted the critical need for financing to help reduce food loss and waste and thus contribute to achieving climate and Sustainable Development goals.

Currently, over 13 percent of food is lost globally in the supply chain after harvest on farms and before the retail stages. Furthermore, food waste, occurring at retail, food service and household levels stands at 19 percent, according to UNEP statistics.

Additionally, food loss and waste account for an estimated 8 to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. The methane gas produced by food loss also has far greater potential to trap heat than carbon dioxide, impacting the environment.

However, "by reducing food loss and waste, countries and communities can benefit from improved food security, access to healthy diets and reduced malnutrition while decreasing their greenhouse gas footprints,” Qu noted. The OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook Report for the period 2024-2033 projects that by halving food loss and waste we can reduce global agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by 4 percent, and the number of undernourished people by 153 million by the year 2030.

To achieve this, an increase in climate investments, and the re-design and up-scale of storage systems to reduce food losses upstream in the supply chain, particularly in low-income economies, is much needed. Raising public awareness and consumer education is also critical at the household level, with the implementation at the global level, the FAO Director-General highlighted.

The fifth International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW) will be observed on the 29th of September 2024, with the theme ‘Climate Finance for Food Loss and Waste Reduction’.The fifth observance of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste will highlight the critical need for financing to bolster efforts to reduce food loss and waste, contribute to achieving climate goals and advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

WAM