Food Waste in the US and around the world

[Chloe]

There are nearly one billion malnourished people in the world, but the approximately 40 million tonnes of food wasted by US households, retailers and food services each year would be enough to satisfy the hunger of every one of them.

The irrigation water used globally to grow food that is wasted would be enough for the domestic needs (at 200 litres per person per day) of 9 billion people - the number expected on the planet by 2050.
If we planted trees on land currently used to grow unnecessary surplus and wasted food, this would offset a theoretical maximum of 100% of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion.


10% of rich countries' greenhouse gas emissions come from growing food that is never eaten.


The UK, US and Europe have nearly twice as much food as is required by the nutritional needs of their populations. Up to half the entire food supply is wasted between the farm and the fork. If crops wastefully fed to livestock are included, European countries have more than three times more food than they need, while the US has around four times more food than is needed, and up to three-quarters of the nutritional value is lost before it reaches people's mouths.


UK Households waste 25% of all the food they buy.


All the world's nearly one billion hungry people could be lifted out of malnourishment on less than a quarter of the food that is wasted in the US, UK and Europe.


A third of the world's entire food supply could be saved by reducing waste – or enough to feed 3 billion people; and this would still leave enough surplus for countries to provide their populations with 130 per cent of their nutritional requirements.


Between 2 and 500 times more carbon dioxide can be saved by feeding food waste to pigs rather than sending it for anaerobic digestion (the UK government's preferred option). But under European laws feeding food waste to pigs is banned. In Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, by contrast, it is mandatory to feed some food waste to pigs.


2.3 million tonnes of fish discarded in the North Atlantic and the North Sea each year; 40 to 60% of all fish caught in Europe are discarded – either because they are the wrong size, species, or because of the ill-governed European quota system.


An estimated 20 to 40% of UK fruit and vegetables rejected even before they reach the shops – mostly because they do not match the supermarkets' excessively strict cosmetic standards.


8.3 million hectares of land required to produce just the meat and dairy products wasted in UK homes and in US homes, shops and restaurants. That is 7 times the amount of Amazon rainforest destroyed in Brazil in one year, largely for cattle grazing and soy production to export for livestock feed.


The bread and other cereal products thrown away in UK households alone would have been enough to lift 30 million of the world's hungry people out of malnourishment


4600 kilocalories per day of food are harvested for every person on the planet; of these, only around 2000 on average are eaten – more than half of it is lost on the way.


4 million people in the UK, 43 million in the EU and around 35 million in the US suffer from food poverty.


24 to 35% of school lunches end up in the bin.


An estimated 20 million tonnes of food wasted in Britain from the plough to the plate.
Fast Facts: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal (http://www.thinkeatsave.org/index.php/fast-facts-uncovering-the-global-food-scandal)

[Chloe]

Nearly 1/2 of all fruit & vegetables produced globally are wasted each year – UN

United States of America

In the United States 30 per cent of all food, worth US$48.3 billion (€32.5 billion), is thrown away each year. It is estimated that about half of the water used to produce this food also goes to waste, since agriculture is the largest human use of water.

Losses at the farm level are probably about 15–35 per cent, depending on the industry. The retail sector has comparatively high rates of loss of about 26 per cent, while supermarkets, surprisingly, only lose about 1 per cent. Overall, losses amount to around US$90 billion–US$100 billion a year (Jones, 2004 cited in Lundqvist et al., 2008).
The food currently lost or wasted in Latin America could feed 300 million people. (FAO, 2013)

Africa

Inefficient processing and drying, poor storage and insufficient infrastructure are instrumental factors in food waste in Africa. In Sub-Saharan Africa post harvest food losses are estimated to be worth US $ 4 billion per year - or enough to feed at least 48 million people.
In many African countries, the post-harvest losses of food cereals are estimated at 25 per cent of the total crop harvested. For some crops such as fruits, vegetables and root crops, being less hardy than cereals, post-harvest losses can reach 50 per cent (Voices Newsletter, 2006). In East Africa economic losses in the dairy sector due to spoilage and waste could average as much as US$90 million/year (FAO, 2004). In Kenya, around 95 million litres of milk, worth around US$22.4 million, are lost each year.

Cumulative losses in Tanzania amount to about 59.5 million liters of milk each year, over 16 per cent of total dairy production during the dry season and 25 per cent in the wet season. In Uganda, approximately 27 per cent of all milk produced is lost, equivalent to US$23 million/year (FAO, 2004).
The food currently lost in Africa could feed 300 million people. (FAO, 2013)

Asia
Statistics show that China wastes 50 million tonnes of grain annually, accounting for one-tenth of the country's total grain output. It is also estimated that enough food to feed 200 million people, about one-sixth of the country's population, goes to waste annually.
Losses for cereals and oil seeds are lower, about 10–12 per cent, according to the Food Corporation of India. Some 23 million tonnes of food cereals, 12 million tonnes of fruits and 21 million tonnes of vegetables are lost each year, with a total estimated value of 240 billion Rupees. A recent estimate by the Ministry of Food Processing is that agricultural produce worth 580 billion Rupees is wasted in India each year (Rediff News, 2007 cited in Lundqvist et al., 2008).

Europe

United Kingdom households waste an estimated 6.7 million tonnes of food every year, around one third of the 21.7 million tonnes purchased. This means that approximately 32 per cent of all food purchased per year is not eaten. Most of this (5.9 million tonnes or 88 per cent) is currently collected by local authorities. Most of the food waste (4.1 million tonnes or 61 per cent) is avoidable and could have been eaten had it been better managed (WRAP, 2008; Knight and Davis, 2007).
The food currently wasted in Europe could feed 200 million people. (FAO, 2013)

Australia

In a survey of more than 1,600 households in Australia in 2004, on behalf of the Australia Institute, it was concluded that on a country-wide basis, $10.5 billion was spent on items that were never used or thrown away. This amounts to more that $5,000 per capita/year.

Key Findings

Roughly one third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year - approximately 1.3 billion tonnes - gets lost or wasted.


Food losses and waste amounts to roughly US$ 680 billion in industrialized countries and US$ 310 billion in developing countries.


Industrialized and developing countries dissipate roughly the same quantities of food - respectively 670 and 630 million tonnes.


Fruits and vegetables, plus roots and tubers have the highest wastage rates of any food.


Global quantitative food waste per year are roughly 30 per cent for cereals, 40-50 per cent for root crops, fruits and vegetables, 20 per cent for oil seeds, meat and dairy plus 30 per cent for fish.


Every year, consumers in rich countries waste almost as much food (222 million tonnes) as the entire net food production of sub-Saharan Africa (230 million tonnes).


The amount of food wasted every year is equivalent to more than half of the world's annual cereals crop (2.3 billion tonnes in 2009/2010).


Per capita waste by consumers is between 95-115 kg a year in Europe and North America, while consumers in sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeastern Asia, each throw away only 6-11 kg a year.


Total per capita food production for human consumption is about 900 kg a year in rich countries, almost twice the 460 kg a year produced in the poorest regions.


In developing countries 40 per cent of losses occur at post-harvest and processing levels while in industrialized countries more than 40 per cent of losses happen at retail and consumer levels.


At retail level, large quantities of food are wasted due to quality standards that over-emphasize appearance.


Food loss and waste also amount to a major squandering of resources, including water, land, energy, labor and capital and needlessly produce greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to global warming and climate change.


Even if just one-fourth of the food currently lost or wasted globally could be saved, it would be enough to feed 870 million hungry people in the world.


In developing countries food waste occur mainly at early stages of the food value chain and can be traced back to financial, managerial and technical constraints in harvesting techniques as well as storage and cooling facilities. Strengthening the supply chain through the direct support of farmers and investments in infrastructure, transportation, as well as in an expansion of the food and packaging industry could help to reduce the amount of food loss and waste.


In medium and high-income countries, food is wasted and lost mainly at later stages in the supply chain. Differing from the situation in developing countries, the behavior of consumers plays a huge part in industrialized countries. The study identified a lack of coordination between actors in the supply chain as a contributing factor. Farmer-buyer agreements can be helpful to increase the level of coordination. Additionally, raising awareness among industries, retailers and consumers as well as finding beneficial use for food that is presently thrown away are useful measures to decrease the amount of losses and waste. Fast Facts - Related Resources (http://www.thinkeatsave.org/index.php/fast-facts-related-resources)

[Peter1469]

Good points!

I think the answer will lie in growing locally, which will require a lot of education in the poorer parts of the world.

The point about planting enough trees to soak up excess carbon will likely upset the die hard warmists- this method wouldn't result in trillions of dollars in income redistribution. :shocked:

[Chloe]

Good points!

I think the answer will lie in growing locally, which will require a lot of education in the poorer parts of the world.

The point about planting enough trees to soak up excess carbon will likely upset the die hard warmists- this method wouldn't result in trillions of dollars in income redistribution. :shocked:

Meh, if someone is smug enough to not want to participate in tree planting because it might put them in a situation to be involved with or related in some way to the campaign against man-made climate change then they lack a conscience in my opinion. You may not agree with why the trees are being planted but if you oppose more trees on the planet then you are kind of just a jerk at that point. :)

[Peter1469]

Meh, if someone is smug enough to not want to participate in tree planting because it might put them in a situation to be involved with or related in some way to the campaign against man-made climate change then they lack a conscience in my opinion. You may not agree with why the trees are being planted but if you oppose more trees on the planet then you are kind of just a jerk at that point. :)


I am all for planting trees.

[Matty]

I am all for planting trees.


We plant trees, trees that grow food, pecan, tangerine, lemon, and grapefruit, one of the blessings of living in Florida.

[Peter1469]

We plant trees, trees that grow food, pecan, tangerine, lemon, and grapefruit, one of the blessings of living in Florida.

If I had land I would do that too.

[AmazonTania]

Meh, if someone is smug enough to not want to participate in tree planting because it might put them in a situation to be involved with or related in some way to the campaign against man-made climate change then they lack a conscience in my opinion. You may not agree with why the trees are being planted but if you oppose more trees on the planet then you are kind of just a jerk at that point. :)

Hey...

[Mr Happy]

Meh, if someone is smug enough to not want to participate in tree planting because it might put them in a situation to be involved with or related in some way to the campaign against man-made climate change then they lack a conscience in my opinion. You may not agree with why the trees are being planted but if you oppose more trees on the planet then you are kind of just a jerk at that point. :)

We have tree Nazis where I live. I like trees but not to the point that they become a hazard...

[zelmo1234]

Meh, if someone is smug enough to not want to participate in tree planting because it might put them in a situation to be involved with or related in some way to the campaign against man-made climate change then they lack a conscience in my opinion. You may not agree with why the trees are being planted but if you oppose more trees on the planet then you are kind of just a jerk at that point. :)

You just described the Al Gores and Michael Mann's of the world, in other words the leaders of the Climate change movement are in it for the money

unfortunately there will always be waste because food spoils, and when the crops come in, it is impossible to harvest 100% even with the best equipment in the world!

By reducing the supply line you have fresher foods that will last longer, but are still going to loose a percentage of that crop

[Germanicus]

Too much surplus must be destroyed under modern capitalism.

The bulk have too much choice and too much disposable income in the west. Even though thewy never stop crying about how bad their wretched lives are. Well maybe that is their own fault. What would make them happy anyway? Living in an advanced society is something people in the west do not appreciate. Maybe if it is taken away the west will learn to value the important things in life.

[patrickt]

I'm all for trees and food. I'm opposed to the hysterics who want to get rich off the fraud of AGW. I'm opposed to those who fight against food production with bogus arguments. I'm opposed to those who ban DDT and shrug at the millions who have died because they're unworthy to live anyway.

I am opposed to nitwits who tell me I can't cut a tree on my property.

My lifetime tree net considering one house built, paper used, and trees planted is probably a +3 for trees. I like shrubs, too, but I'm sure in LibWorld shrubs aren't worthy.

[countryboy]

There are nearly one billion malnourished people in the world, but the approximately 40 million tonnes of food wasted by US households, retailers and food services each year would be enough to satisfy the hunger of every one of them.

The irrigation water used globally to grow food that is wasted would be enough for the domestic needs (at 200 litres per person per day) of 9 billion people - the number expected on the planet by 2050.
If we planted trees on land currently used to grow unnecessary surplus and wasted food, this would offset a theoretical maximum of 100% of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion.


10% of rich countries' greenhouse gas emissions come from growing food that is never eaten.


The UK, US and Europe have nearly twice as much food as is required by the nutritional needs of their populations. Up to half the entire food supply is wasted between the farm and the fork. If crops wastefully fed to livestock are included, European countries have more than three times more food than they need, while the US has around four times more food than is needed, and up to three-quarters of the nutritional value is lost before it reaches people's mouths.


UK Households waste 25% of all the food they buy.


All the world's nearly one billion hungry people could be lifted out of malnourishment on less than a quarter of the food that is wasted in the US, UK and Europe.


A third of the world's entire food supply could be saved by reducing waste – or enough to feed 3 billion people; and this would still leave enough surplus for countries to provide their populations with 130 per cent of their nutritional requirements.


Between 2 and 500 times more carbon dioxide can be saved by feeding food waste to pigs rather than sending it for anaerobic digestion (the UK government's preferred option). But under European laws feeding food waste to pigs is banned. In Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, by contrast, it is mandatory to feed some food waste to pigs.


2.3 million tonnes of fish discarded in the North Atlantic and the North Sea each year; 40 to 60% of all fish caught in Europe are discarded – either because they are the wrong size, species, or because of the ill-governed European quota system.


An estimated 20 to 40% of UK fruit and vegetables rejected even before they reach the shops – mostly because they do not match the supermarkets' excessively strict cosmetic standards.


8.3 million hectares of land required to produce just the meat and dairy products wasted in UK homes and in US homes, shops and restaurants. That is 7 times the amount of Amazon rainforest destroyed in Brazil in one year, largely for cattle grazing and soy production to export for livestock feed.


The bread and other cereal products thrown away in UK households alone would have been enough to lift 30 million of the world's hungry people out of malnourishment


4600 kilocalories per day of food are harvested for every person on the planet; of these, only around 2000 on average are eaten – more than half of it is lost on the way.


4 million people in the UK, 43 million in the EU and around 35 million in the US suffer from food poverty.


24 to 35% of school lunches end up in the bin.


An estimated 20 million tonnes of food wasted in Britain from the plough to the plate.
Fast Facts: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal (http://www.thinkeatsave.org/index.php/fast-facts-uncovering-the-global-food-scandal)
It is government regs which are largely responsible for so much food being wasted. Restaurants and other food institutions cannot simply donate unused food to the needy.

[Matty]

Something else to consider. The USA does send surplus food all around the world. Many cultures have refused to eat it because some of the food produced in the USA is genetically altered.