“Throwing away food is like stealing from the table of the poor and hungry.” –Pope Francis
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has been observing the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste on September 29 since 2020 with the goal of raising awareness of the importance of food loss and waste. Food loss refers to any food that is discarded, incinerated, or otherwise disposed of along the food supply chain, but excluding the retail level, and the food does not re-enter the supply chain for any other productive use, such as for feed or seed. The theme for 2025 is “Reducing Food Loss and Waste—Taking Action to Transform Food Systems.” This theme emphasizes concrete actions and collective efforts from all stakeholders to build more resilient and efficient food systems and secure a sustainable food future for all.
Concrete Action Needed to Secure Food Security
- Moving beyond awareness to concrete steps in various areas, such as improving supply chains, promoting sustainable agriculture, and innovating in storage and logistics.
- A call for fundamental changes in how food is produced, distributed, and consumed to make food systems more efficient and equitable.
- Highlighting the importance of governments, businesses, NGOs, and individuals working together to reduce food loss and waste, which is a crucial component of achieving food security and environmental sustainability
Global Food Waste and Food Insecurity
Households account for 60 per cent of global food waste. It has been calculated that an average of 74 kg of food per person is wasted each year worldwide. According to FAO, 1.4 billion hectares of agricultural land are used annually to produce food that will eventually be discarded; 14 per cent of produced food, equivalent to 1.25 billion tons, which is worth approximately Rs. 34,000 billion, is lost between harvest and sale in 2024. An estimated 19 per cent of food—the equivalent of 1.05 billion tons—was wasted in households, food service, and retail in 2024.
In India, household food loss and waste is estimated at 55 kg per person annually, totaling 78.2 million tons in 2024, according to reports.
Approximately 28.9 per cent of the global population—2.33 billion people—were moderately or severely food insecure in 2024. One out of 11 people in the world faced hunger in the same year. In addition, food loss and waste-related problems contribute to 8 to 10 per cent of global GHG emissions, leading to environmental detriment as well.
Food Waste Challenge in Manipur
Food waste in Manipur is a significant challenge, especially in rural areas, where 90 per cent of solid waste is wet or food waste. During cultural events and festivals, there is a habit of wasting food. While traditional practices like using food scraps for animal feed are prevalent, the lack of cold storage facilities leads to significant spoilage of agricultural produce. Efforts to combat this include promoting home and decentralized composting facilities, machinery and manpower to manage waste scientifically and bridge the gap between installed capacity and utilization, and implementing the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016.
How to Reduce Food Waste
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Target to halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains by 2030.
Reducing food loss and waste will help to protect natural resources and biodiversity, reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and maximize the use of food produced. It is, therefore, central to securing efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable agrifood systems and to improving food security, nutrition, and health.
Embracing innovation and fostering circular economy approaches in agrifood systems to prevent, reduce, reuse, and repurpose also serves to create new job opportunities, improve livelihoods, and generate financial benefits for a range of stakeholders.
Food loss and waste imply unnecessary pressure on the environment and the natural resources used to produce it in the first place.
Saving food that is already produced may be one of the least expensive ways to help transform agrifood systems for greater efficiency and resilience.
Valorizing food-processing side streams to mitigate food loss can improve economic, social, and environmental aspects of the current food system and encourage more equitable distribution of food from different geographical regions, thus helping to ensure greater global food security.
Reducing Food Waste—A Climate Solution
Reducing food waste is the most cost-effective and achievable climate solution. The world produces enough food to feed everyone, and yet millions suffer from hunger and malnutrition. Food loss and waste exacerbate this problem by reducing the amount of food available for consumption, thus contributing to food insecurity. Many of the most highly nutritious foods, such as fresh produce, fishery, and animal products, are highly perishable and sustain high levels of food loss.
This food waste exacerbates climate change and economic loss and contributes to food insecurity alongside the millions sleeping in hunger in the country. The causes include over-purchasing, poor meal planning, limited storage, and cultural habits of over-preparation, necessitating a multi-faceted approach to reduce the waste across the country.
Now is the time for all—from producers, investors, businesses, and supply chain stakeholders to consumers—to take urgent action to expand and strengthen efforts, both individually and collectively, to reduce food loss and waste towards ensuring a food-secure and net-zero world.
The world’s population of 8.2 billion is expected to grow to close to 9.7 billion people by 2050. Ensuring a food-secure world—where current and future populations have access to sufficient nutritious food—crucially requires new ways of working and concerted efforts to improve the sustainability and resilience of agrifood systems globally.
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(The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Ukhrul Times. The author is an Environmentalist, presently working as District Forest Officer, Chandel district, Manipur. The author can be reached at nmunall@yahoo.in.)