https://en.sputniknews.africa/20240329/almost-one-fifth-of-food-produced-worldwide-is-wasted-while-783-million-starve-un-reveals-1065819472.html
Almost One-Fifth of Food Produced Worldwide is Wasted While 783 Million Starve, UN Reveals
Almost One-Fifth of Food Produced Worldwide is Wasted While 783 Million Starve, UN Reveals
Sputnik Africa
Our world is full of contrasts, sometimes rather unfair ones. While 783 million people suffer from hunger, according to the UN data, a significant amount of... 29.03.2024, Sputnik Africa
2024-03-29T15:07+0100
2024-03-29T15:07+0100
2024-03-29T15:07+0100
united nations (un)
hunger
international
israel
south africa
naledi pandor
sudan
north africa
food
world food crisis
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A recent analysis from the United Nations reveals that over 19% of the food produced worldwide in 2022, or approximately 1.05 billion metric tonnes, was wasted.Scholars analyzed national households, food service, and retail data. An estimated 79 kilograms of food are wasted per person annually, which is equivalent to at least one billion meals being wasted daily on a global scale.The majority of the waste — 60% — came from households, while approximately 28% came from the food service industry and about 12% came from retailers.Moreover, the environmental impact of food production, which includes the land and water needed to raise crops and animals as well as the greenhouse gas emissions it generates, is another reason for food waste being a global concern.Food loss and waste account for 8-10% of total greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. It would rank third if it were a country, following the United States and China.Thus, the report emphasized that food redistribution, which involves donating excess food to food banks and charities, plays a crucial role in addressing food waste within the retail industry.The paper also discovered that the differences in per capita home food waste between high-income, upper-middle income, and lower-middle income countries were unexpectedly small — only 7 kg/capita/year.Food Waste in AfricaFor Africa, there are 52 datapoints available from 17 countries. A total of eight datapoints were identified for the region of Northern Africa, sourced from three nations. Among these, six were obtained from six distinct regions within Egypt.For Sub-Saharan Africa, 44 datapoints were identified from 14 countries, 41 of which were household estimates.The top three countries in terms of average amount of household food waste were Seychelles, Tunisia and Egypt. The most sparing countries were all from the South — South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana.However, it is important to remember that these data may not reflect the real picture of food waste, as the datapoints provided vary significantly between the countries. Moreover, the remaining 40 countries on the continent did not provide the relevant information.While huge amounts of food are being wasted every single day, 783 million people worldwide are experiencing chronic hunger, according to the UN World Food Programme, and numerous regions are experiencing worsening food crises.In mid-March, the United Nations children's Agency issued a warning regarding the potential for catastrophic loss of lives in Sudan due to starvation and demanded a massive mobilization of resources, saying that "hunger is pervasive."Last week, Naledi Pandor, South Africa's foreign minister, said that Israel has disregarded a January interim order by the International Court of Justice that instructed it to take measures to avert acts of genocide while combating Hamas in the Gaza Strip, pointing out that Israel is carrying out a campaign of starvation in the enclave.
https://en.sputniknews.africa/20240316/hunger-is-pervasive-unicef-warns-of-catastrophic-death-toll-in-sudan-as-famine-worsens-1065586533.html
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united nations (un), hunger, international, israel, south africa, naledi pandor, sudan, north africa, food, world food crisis, food security , world food programme (wfp), environment, waste
united nations (un), hunger, international, israel, south africa, naledi pandor, sudan, north africa, food, world food crisis, food security , world food programme (wfp), environment, waste
Almost One-Fifth of Food Produced Worldwide is Wasted While 783 Million Starve, UN Reveals
Christina Glazkova
Writer / Editor
Our world is full of contrasts, sometimes rather unfair ones. While 783 million people suffer from hunger, according to the UN data, a significant amount of food is wasted every day. This not only has a negative impact on people, but also on the environment.
A recent
analysis from the United Nations reveals that over 19% of the food produced worldwide in 2022, or approximately 1.05 billion metric tonnes, was
wasted.
Scholars analyzed national households, food service, and retail data. An estimated 79 kilograms of food are wasted per person annually, which is equivalent to at least one billion meals being wasted daily on a global scale.
The majority of the waste — 60% — came from households, while approximately 28% came from the food service industry and about 12% came from retailers.
Moreover, the environmental impact of food production, which includes the land and water needed to raise crops and animals as well as the greenhouse
gas emissions it generates, is another reason for food waste being a global concern.
Food
loss and waste account for 8-10% of total greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. It would
rank third if it were a country, following the United States and
China.
Thus, the report emphasized that food redistribution, which involves donating excess food to food banks and charities, plays a crucial role in addressing food waste within the retail industry.
The paper also discovered that the differences in per capita home food waste between high-income, upper-middle income, and lower-middle income countries were unexpectedly small — only 7 kg/capita/year.
For Africa, there are 52 datapoints available from 17 countries. A total of eight datapoints were identified for the region of
Northern Africa, sourced from three nations. Among these, six were obtained from six distinct regions within
Egypt.
For Sub-Saharan Africa, 44 datapoints were identified from 14 countries, 41 of which were household estimates.
The top three countries in terms of average amount of household food waste were
Seychelles,
Tunisia and
Egypt. The most sparing countries were all from the South —
South Africa,
Zimbabwe and
Botswana.
However, it is important to remember that these data may not reflect the real picture of food waste, as the datapoints provided vary significantly between the countries. Moreover, the remaining 40 countries on the continent did not provide the relevant information.
While huge amounts of food are being wasted every single day, 783 million people worldwide are experiencing chronic hunger, according to the UN
World Food Programme, and numerous regions are experiencing worsening food crises.
In mid-March, the United Nations children's Agency
issued a warning regarding the potential for catastrophic loss of lives in
Sudan due to starvation and demanded a massive mobilization of resources, saying that "hunger is pervasive."
Last week, Naledi Pandor, South Africa's foreign minister,
said that Israel has disregarded a January interim order by the International Court of Justice that instructed it to take measures to avert acts of genocide while combating Hamas in the Gaza Strip, pointing out that Israel is carrying out a campaign of starvation in the enclave.
