Crazy Fact Series #10 - About 931 million metric tons of FOOD is wasted each year, worldwide
Food waste is a huge problem. How big?
About 931 million metric tons. That's how much food that researchers with the United Nations estimate was wasted in 2019, according to the Food Waste Index Report 2021, which surveyed 54 countries, finding that the majority of wasted food (61%) comes from homes while restaurants and other food services produce 26% of wasted food. Grocery stores make up just 13% of food waste.
WOWSER! Is there anything that can be done about this? Well, besides the crazy fact, I also looked up this crazy fact-filled website about The Problem of Food Waste. According to FoodPrint.org, food is lost or wasted for a variety of reasons, including bad weather, processing problems, overproduction and unstable markets cause food loss long before it arrives in a grocery store, while overbuying, poor planning and confusion over labels and safety contribute to food waste at stores and in homes. Food waste also has a staggering price tag, costing this country approximately $218 billion per year. Uneaten food also puts unneeded strain on the environment by wasting valuable resources like water and farmland.
Of all the food that goes to waste every year, much of it is perfectly edible and nutritious. If this crazy fact bothered you and you want to learn more about what you can do to change this, check out cooking with less waste ideas and tips for creating a zero-waste kitchen from FoodPrint.org.
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