WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The world is losing nearly $ 400 billion in food before arriving in stores, Bloomberg News reported on Monday.
The agency quoted a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations that 14% of total food production is lost annually, especially from the countries of North America, Europe and South Asia, which tops the list of the regions most lost food produced in the world.
The report, which is based on data from 2016, said that refrigerated storage facilities and better infrastructure would reduce losses, but more detailed data on the food supply chain is needed to solve the problem.
Bloomberg notes that food waste is under scrutiny because of its contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, and that more than 820 million people worldwide are starving every day.
World leaders have pledged to seek to halve food and retail losses by 2030 and reduce food production losses. Companies are also trying to improve the efficiency of the food industry.
FAO Director-General Xu Dunyu says wasted food means unnecessary pressure on the environment and natural resources used in food production.
He says wasting food "basically means depleting land and water resources, causing pollution and emitting greenhouse gases to no avail."
Consumers, in turn, have wasted huge amounts of food. According to the FAO report, about 37% of animal products and perhaps a fifth of production of fruits and vegetables are wasted after purchase.
The report notes that rich countries are the most wasted of food products, while poorer countries suffer from climate and infrastructure issues.
FAO stresses that reducing global food waste is a challenge and that more information is needed to take effective action in this regard.