A UN study, by the Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology, has found that 1.3bn tonnes of food is lost or wasted each year and reducing losses in developing countries could have ‘immediate and significant’ impact on poor people. One-third of the world’s food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted each year, according to a study released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
The food lost or wasted is due to inefficiencies throughout the food supply chain, says the report. Amid rising global food prices, the study says that reducing food losses in developing countries could have an “immediate and significant” impact on livelihoods and food security in some of the world’s poorest countries.

Industrialised and developing countries waste or lose roughly the same amount of food each year – 670m and 630m tonnes respectively. But while rich countries waste food primarily at the level of the consumer, the main issue for developing countries is food lost due to weak infrastructure – including poor storage, processing and packaging facilities that lack the capacity to keep produce fresh. Food losses mean lost income for small farmers and higher prices for poor consumers in developing countries, says the study.

The average European or North American consumer wastes 95kg-115kg of food a year, with fruits and vegetables being top of the table. In contrast, the average consumer in sub-Saharan Africa, south Asia or south-east Asia wastes only 6kg-11kg. The study notes that in developing countries poverty and limited incomes make it unacceptable to waste food, and that poor consumers in low-income countries generally buy smaller amounts of food at a time.

Food wasted by consumers in rich countries (222m tonnes) is roughly equal to the entire food production of sub-Saharan Africa (230m tonnes).

The report argues that reducing reliance on retailers such as big supermarkets could help cut food waste in the north, and suggests promoting the direct sale of farm produce to consumers. It also encourages retailers and charities to work together, to distribute unsold but perfectly edible food that would otherwise go to waste.

For developing countries, the study says the key lies in strengthening food supply chains, urging investment in infrastructure and transportation, along with increased attention to food storage, processing and packaging.
The FAO-backed report concludes: “Food production must clearly increase significantly to meet the future demands of an increasing and more affluent world population . In a world with limited natural resources (land, water, energy, fertiliser), and where cost-effective solutions are to be found to produce enough safe and nutritious food for all, reducing food losses should not be a forgotten priority.”