- 61% of this waste was generated by households, 26% from food service & 13% from retails.
- At the Global level, 74Kg per capita of food is wasted each year.
- In India the per capita food wastage is 50 Kg (at the household level) & it is estimated that India generates 68, 760, 163 tonnes of food waste each year.
- The 2015 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.3 aims to halve food waste & reduce food loss by 2030.
In addition to the Food Loss Index developed by the Food & Agriculture Organization of United Nations (FAO), Food Waste Index covers food’s journey – food waste occurring at household, food service & retail level.
Key points
- Per capita food wastage is higher in west Asian & sub-Saharan African Countries compared to South Asian, European & North American countries.
- 8-10% of the Global Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHG) are associated with foods which are not consumed.
- Reducing food waste will slow down the destruction of nature through land conversion & pollution, enhance availability of food & reduce hunger.
FAO Report
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, in 2019 around 690 million people were impacted by hunger & 3 billion were unable to afford a health diet.
- The numbers are expected to increase sharply in the Post covid-era.
Per Capita Food Wastage estimates in South Asia
- 82 kg in Afghanistan
- 79 kg in Nepal
- 76 kg in Sri Lanka
- 74 kg in Pakistan
- 65 kg in Bangladesh
Click here to read the full report
Recent Related News:
i.On September 29, 2020 The First Ever “International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW)” was observed FA & UNEP.The Theme for International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste 2020 is “Stop food loss and waste. For the People. For the Planet”.
About United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP):
Executive Director – Inger Andersen
Headquarters – Nairobi, Kenya
About WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme):
Chair – Julie Hill
Headquarters – Banbury, United Kingdom
