Reducing Food Waste: Making the Most of Our Abundance

[THP]

According to staggering new statistics from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), roughly one-third of the food produced worldwide for human consumption is lost or wasted, amounting to some 1.3 billion tons per year. In the developing world, over 40 percent of food losses occur after harvest--while being stored or transported, and during processing and packing. In industrialized countries, more than 40 percent of losses occur as a result of retailers and consumers discarding unwanted but often perfectly edible food.At a time when the land, water, and energy resources necessary to feed a global population of 6.9 billion are increasingly limited--and when at least 1 billion people remain chronically hungry--food losses mean a waste of those resources and a failure of our food system to meet the needs of the poor. The Worldwatch Institute's Nourishing the Planet project is highlighting ways to make the most of the food that is produced and to make more food available to those who need it most.More...