According to the UN’s environmental program, 19 percent of all food produced in 2022 was thrown away, which corresponds to approximately 1.05 billion tons of food.
In his report regarding global food waste, the UN states that households are the biggest culprit in the drama and account for 60 percent of the waste. Spread over the entire world’s population, this means 79 kilos of food in the garbage per person every year.
In Swedish households, approximately 33 kilos of edible food are thrown away per person per year, according to the Swedish Food Agency. For a family of two adults and two children, this is about 130 kilos in total.
Warns of famine disasters
The report is released at a time when 783 million people around the world lack food, with many countries facing deepening hunger crises.
The war in Gaza and the violence in Haiti have worsened the situation, with experts warning of massive famine disasters within the next month.
– It is a tragedy and an illogical problem, says Clementine O’Connor, one of the authors of the report to AP.
Not just a problem in rich countries
The UN also writes in the report that the differences between household food waste in rich and poor countries are surprisingly small. However, wastage is generally higher in warmer countries where it is more difficult to keep fresh food fresh for a long time.
In addition, countries with extreme weather such as heat waves and drought have a harder time preserving their food.
Food waste is said to generate between 8-10 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the world. Reducing global wastage is therefore an important contribution to the climate. The UN’s goal is to halve it by 2030.