A staggering one billion tonnes of food are wasted every year, while up to 783 million people around the world are facing hunger.
Ahead of the International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste Reduction on Friday, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) are sounding the alarm over losses amounting to 13 per cent of the world’s food in the supply chain before products even hit the shelves, and a further 17 per cent lost in households and retail.
The agencies said that stopping food loss and waste boosts food security, saves resources and helps reduce our carbon footprint.
They called for urgent action from the public and private sector as well as consumers to save and preserve food and set out concrete steps for all stakeholders in a joint guide, insisting that “our collective efforts can make a difference”.