What is Food Waste?

Food waste can be defined as the loss, spoilage or unusability of food produced before it is consumed. This includes not only the physical disposal of food, but also losses in the food supply chain and quantities of food that do not reach end users. Food waste refers to any loss that may occur during food production, transportation, storage and sale. 

Food waste can occur in the following areas:

Losses in Production: Loss of food products before or during harvest due to spoilage, disease or natural disasters.

Losses in the Supply Chain: Damage to food products from production to consumption (damage during transportation, disruption of the cold chain).

Losses in Retail and Restaurants: Deterioration of food products due to expired expiry dates, prolonged storage on shelves or improper storage.

Food Waste in the Consumer's Home: Food spoiled at home due to unnecessary over-buying, expired expiry dates or improper storage.

Global Dimensions of Food Waste:

Worldwide, 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted every year. This is equivalent to about one-third of all food produced. This wastage leads to the loss of natural resources such as water, energy and labor spent in food production.

Water Loss: Water resources used for food production are also wasted. For example, while about 15,000 liters of water is used to produce 1 kilogram of meat, the same amount of food waste wastes these water resources.

Energy Loss: Energy used in processes such as food transportation, cooling and storage is also lost with wasted food.