China News Agency, United Nations, March 4th. A report released by the United Nations Environment Programme on the 4th showed that the world wasted up to 931 million tons of food in 2019, accounting for about 17% of the total food available for consumption.
In 2019 alone, the global wasted food can be filled with more than 23 million trucks with a load of 40 tons, which can go around the equator about 9 times when connected end to end.
Data map: Food in the supermarket.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Wang Xi
The Environment Agency and the British NGO "Waste and Resources Action Plan" jointly released the "2021 Food Waste Index Report" on the same day, which calculated food waste in retail establishments, restaurants and households, covering 152 in 54 countries and regions around the world Data collection point.
According to the report, in the consumer sector, an average of 121 kilograms of food was wasted per person in the world in 2019.
Waste in domestic settings is particularly serious, accounting for more than 60% of total waste; food service and retail industries account for 26% and 13% of total waste, respectively.
The report points out that food waste will have a significant impact on the environment, society and economy. If the waste generated in all links of the food supply chain is taken into account, the greenhouse gas emissions related to food waste can account for 8% of the total global emissions. %-10%.
According to the Environment Agency, in 2019, 690 million people worldwide will have no food to eat. This number is expected to rise sharply due to the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic; there are still about 3 billion people in the world who cannot afford healthy diets.
In this context, consumers need more advice and guidance on reducing household food waste.
Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the Environment Agency, said that reducing food waste can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, alleviate the damage to the natural environment due to cultivated land and pollution, increase food supply, and reduce hunger. Help save money.
He said that if mankind wants to seriously deal with climate change, loss of nature and biodiversity, as well as pollution and waste, global companies, governments and citizens must fulfill their responsibilities and reduce waste.
UNEP stated that reducing food waste is an important part of the Sustainable Development Goals. UNEP will establish a regional working group based on the data in this report to help countries formulate national food waste standards and monitoring and measurement mechanisms, as well as national strategies to prevent food waste. UNEP recommends that countries include the reduction of food waste in the Nationally Determined Contributions targets of the Paris Agreement to consolidate food safety and reduce household expenditures on food purchases. Preventing food waste should also become an important part of the post-epidemic recovery strategy. (Finish)