But also because we buy and cook too much of it. The data from the Waste Watcher report on the occasion of the International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste. But also because we buy and cook too much of it. The data from the Waste Watcher report on the occasion of the International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste.
On 29 September, the International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste is observed, established last year by the Fao. Acting to reduce food loss is fundamental to creating sustainable food systems and contributing to the health of the planet, and this must translate into behavioural changes, as well as investments in technologies and infrastructure in pursuit of the sustainable development goals of the 2030 Agenda.
In 2019, 931 million tonnes of food sold were lost and wasted. 11 per cent of waste occurred in households, 5 per cent in catering and 2 per cent in retail, while 14 per cent of food produced is lost between harvest, transport and wholesale markets.
Food lost and wasted accounts for 38 per cent of total energy consumption in the global food system. Furthermore, 8–10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions are associated with food that is not consumed. 6 per cent of total water withdrawals and 30 per cent of the world's agricultural land are used to produce food that is subsequently lost or wasted.
Translating these figures into economic costs, we are talking about environmental costs of 700 billion dollars and social costs of 900 billion dollars.
Recovery, redistribution, composting are the keywords for reducing losses and waste starting in the domestic environment, where food is wasted regardless of the income levels of the region or country. Everyone can play their part. How? The Fao suggests small actions: making a shopping list and avoiding bulk purchases driven by promotions, designating a shelf in the fridge for products nearing their expiry date, measuring food portions, sharing leftovers and surplus with neighbours, relatives and friends.
They may seem like small things, but they make a difference. As the first global report on the relationship between food and waste shows — a survey produced by Waste Watcher, International Observatory on Food & Sustainability, conducted in Italy, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Russia, Canada and China — households around the world waste food because 44 per cent forget the expiry date of products, 40 per cent buy excessive quantities and 33 per cent cook too much. Food is even wasted because people forget they have bought it: this is the case for 68 per cent of American citizens, 65 per cent of Canadians, 61 per cent of British people, and 50 per cent in Italy, Russia, Spain and Germany.
The most virtuous in terms of waste appear to be the Spanish, with 71 per cent of respondents declaring they throw food away less than once a week. They are followed by Russians and Germans at 70 per cent, then Italians at 69 per cent. Bottom of the rankings are the Chinese, who say they throw food away once or more a week in 75 per cent of cases, and Americans (55 per cent waste food at least weekly).
Considering the absolute amounts of food thrown away, Italians are the most virtuous, wasting just 529 grams of food per person over the course of a week. The ranking of the worst runs from American citizens wasting 1,453 grams of food per week, Chinese citizens with 1,153 grams, Canadians with 1,144 grams, and Germans with 1,081 grams. Below the kilogram mark are British citizens (949 grams), Spanish citizens (836 grams) and Russians (672 grams).
The foods most commonly wasted are the most perishable, such as fruit and vegetables. Italians settle at an average weekly waste of 32.4 grams per week for fruit and 22.8 grams for vegetables. Fresh bread also features among the most wasted foods in the world: from 38.3 grams per week in the United States to 22.3 grams in Italy, with the United Kingdom in between at 33.8 grams.