A joint report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) highlights the significant impact of reducing food waste on global hunger and climate change. The report, released Tuesday, states that halving food waste could cut climate-warming emissions and end undernourishment for 153 million people worldwide.
According to the FAO, approximately one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally. This not only contributes to unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions but also reduces the amount of available food for those in need.
The report warns that by 2033, the calories lost and wasted between farms and households could exceed twice the number of calories consumed annually in low-income countries. Cutting food waste in half by 2030 has the potential to reduce global agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by four percent and decrease the number of undernourished people by 153 million.
Achieving this ambitious target would require substantial changes from both consumers and producers, the report notes. Agriculture, forestry, and other land use currently account for about one-fifth of global human-induced greenhouse gas emissions.
The United Nations has committed to reducing per capita food waste by 50 percent by 2030 as part of its sustainable development goals. However, there is no global target for reducing food loss along the production supply chain.
Between 2021 and 2023, fruits and vegetables—due to their perishability and short shelf life—constituted more than half of the lost and wasted food, followed by cereals, which accounted for over a quarter.
The FAO estimates that approximately 600 million people will face hunger in 2030. The report suggests that measures to reduce food loss and waste could significantly increase global food intake, lower food prices, and ensure better access to food for low-income populations. Specifically, halving food loss and waste by 2030 could increase food intake by 10 percent in low-income countries, six percent in lower-middle-income nations, and four percent in upper-middle-income countries.
The findings underscore the critical need for coordinated efforts to address food waste, which could play a crucial role in combating hunger and mitigating climate change.
