Half of the food produced worldwide – around two billion tonnes – ends up in the bin, even though the vast majority of it is still edible. The figure comes from a January 2013 report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the British mechanical engineering association.

Among the causes of this mass waste are the bad habits of millions of people who fail to store food properly. But also overly rigid use-by dates on food products, promotions that push consumers to buy more food than they need, and the numerous stages between producer and consumer in industrial food supply chains.

Against the backdrop of billions of tonnes of food thrown away, there are one billion people in the world who do not have access to sufficient food resources.

Food waste around the world

This estimate is slightly higher – but in line – with that of the Fao, according to which more than one third of food produced each year for human consumption, i.e. around 1.3 billion tonnes, is lost or wasted, as set out in the study entitled Global Food Losses and Food Waste. That study states that industrialised countries and developing countries waste 670 and 630 million tonnes of food respectively each year. The document had been commissioned by the Fao from the Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology (Sik) on the occasion of Save the Food. Solutions for a world aware of its resources, in 2011. In industrialised countries alone, 222 million tonnes of food are thrown away every year: a quantity that would be enough to feed
the entire population of sub-Saharan Africa.

Food waste in Europe

In Europe, the amount comes to 89 million tonnes, or an average of 180 kg per capita. The highest domestic waste per capita is recorded in England, at 110 kg per person, followed by the United States (109 kg), Italy (108 kg), France (99 kg), Germany (82 kg) and Sweden (72 kg). "42% of food waste in Europe occurs within the home," notes Francesco Mele, head of the anti-food-waste campaign at Slow Food Italia.

Food waste in Italy

In Italy, according to the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition, between 10 and 20 million tonnes of food products end up as waste every year, with a value of around 37 billion euros. That is a cost of 450 euros a year per household – food that, according to Coldiretti, would be enough to feed around 44 million people.

Whether for economic, ethical or environmental sustainability reasons, more than 8 in 10 Italians say no to food waste, according to a Swg survey for Last Minute Market. Food waste is something "everyone should avoid" (8.7%), "should be avoided to help those in need" (8.3), "is immoral when people are dying of hunger" (8.3), "produces more waste to be disposed of" (8.2), "is a flaw in the economic system" (8.0), "is a loss of resources that jeopardises the future of the planet" (7.8). Some 78% of Italians call for every citizen to take personal responsibility in their own small way to avoid food waste. 67% of the sample envision laws providing tax breaks for those who adopt anti-waste solutions by donating surplus food. And according to 62% of respondents, schools should teach "neo-home economics" through compulsory courses explaining how to make the best use of all food in the kitchen. According to the Osservatorio sugli sprechi, at the domestic level in Italy an average of 17% of purchased fruit and vegetables are wasted, along with 15% of fish, 28% of pasta and bread, 29% of eggs, 30% of meat and 32% of dairy products. For an Italian family, this means a loss of 1,693 euros a year.