Context: Food Waste Index Report (FWIR) 2024 published by United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP) highlights food wastage trends for the year 2022.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about Food Waste Index Report.
Key Highlights of Food Waste Index Report
- Food worth $1 trillion is wasted globally every year, even as 783 million people suffer from hunger. Over 1 billion tonnes of food was wasted globally, accounting for 20% of all available food.
- Households contribute the majority of (60%) total food waste, followed by the food service sector and retail.
- India ranks second globally in food wastage, after China. With an average of 55 kg food waste generated per capita annually by households, the total food waste generated is over 78 million tonnes in India.
- Food waste forms 10%-12% of total municipal solid waste, significantly contributing to methane emissions from landfills.
What is Food Waste? How is it different from Food Loss?
- Food Waste: Food and the associated inedible parts removed from the human food supply chain. Food discarded at retail and consumer levels.
- Food Loss: Loss of edible crops and livestock products before they reach retail. Occurs earlier in the supply chain, mainly during production, harvesting, storage, transportation, and processing.
Impacts of Food Waste:
- Environmental Impact:
- Resource wastage: Land, water, and energy used in food production go to waste.
- The UN Climate Change (2024) reports that food loss and waste generate 8%-10% of annual greenhouse gas emissions globally. In terms of country, food waste globally is the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, after China and the US.
- In India, food waste accounts for 10%-12% of total municipal waste, contributing significantly to methane emissions from landfills. .
- Social Impact:
- Widespread wastage prevents food from reaching those who need it most, hindering progress toward Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 12.3 (reduce food waste at retail and consumer levels).
Way Forward- Actions to Reduce Food Waste
- Individual & Household Level: smart meal planning; efficient food storage; composting; donating surplus food.
- Increased Investment in building more cold storage and transportation infrastructure.
- Businesses should adopt sustainable practices such as redistributing unsold food.
- Policymakers should subsidise innovative solutions such as food redistribution networks (Applications) and improved cold storage (providing subsidies for farmers to invest in refrigeration).
- Raising awareness about responsible consumption. E.g., India’s “Save Food Share Food” programme.
India stands at a critical juncture, addressing food waste is essential for tackling carbon footprint, ensuring food security and reducing social inequality.