Food waste
Did you know that globally, about 14 per cent of food valued at an estimated US$400 billion is lost between harvest and distribution? Moreover, significant quantities are also wasted in retail and consumption levels.
United Nations identified that each year, an estimated one-third of all food produced, equivalent to 1.3 billion tons worth around $1 trillion, ends up rotting in the bins of consumers and retailers, or spoiling due to poor transportation and harvesting practices.
Last year, we celebrated for the first time, the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, on September 29, and the COVID-19 pandemic has brought about a global wake-up call on the need to transform the way food is produced and consumed globally. Following lockdown measures, disruptions in supply chains, as well as the closure of much of the hospitality industry, the pandemic generated significant challenges to food security in many countries this year.
On the other hand, with panic buying and stockpiling by consumers, some of the key donors to food banks, including supermarkets, were finding it difficult to keep their shelves stocked and were therefore incapable of donating food. Moreover, these large stocks purchased by consumers were discarded as food waste by households due to purchase of excess quantities and improper storage.
With more than a quarter of a billion people potentially at the brink of starvation, reducing food losses and waste is a key to reducing global hunger.
