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DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

  • 02 April, 2021

  • 3 Min Read

Food Waste Index 2021

Food Waste Index 2021

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report aims to advance progress on the Sustainable Development Goal 12.3

  • SDG 12.3 aims at halving per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reducing food losses along production and supply chains.
  • This report presents food waste data collection, analysis and modelling to date, generating a new estimate of global food waste.
  • It publishes a methodology for countries to measure food waste, at household, food service and retail levels, in order to track national progress towards 2030 and to report on SDG 12.3.

Key Highlights:

  • The 2021 index has revealed that 17% of all food available at consumer levels was wasted in 2019.
  • The food waste amounted to 931 million tonnes of food sold. Around 690 million people had to go hungry.
  • It was prepared by using data from 54 countries and then extrapolated to the remaining countries.
  • On average, 74 kgs of food was wasted per capita/year at the household level. India wastes 50 kg/capita/year.

Recommendations -

  • Countries can raise climate ambition by including food systems in their NDCs.
  • Regional Food Waste Working Groups will provide capacity building and training to participating Member States in measuring food waste, developing a national baseline, etc., for food waste prevention.
  • The UN Food Systems Summit provides an opportunity to launch bold new actions to tackle food waste globally.

Food Loss Index

  • The Food Waste Index report is in contrast to the Food Loss Index of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
  • The Food Waste Index covers the later stages of food’s journey - food waste - occurring at household, food service and retail levels.
  • Food loss and waste cause about $940 billion/year in economic losses.
  • As of now, none of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement mention food waste.

Source: TH


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