Food Wastage—Energy Wasted

Abstract

Roughly 30 % of the food produced worldwide—about 1.3 billion tons—is lost or wasted every year, which means that the water and energy used to produce it is also wasted. Poor storage facilities, over-strict sell-by dates, “get-one-free” offers, and consumer fussiness all contribute to the waste. In different parts of the world wastage occurs at different parts of the supply chain; in the developing world, food losses are predominantly at the producer end; and in the developed world wastage is generally consumer-driven. Reducing food wastage at every level is possibly the lowest energy- and water-cost way to increase food production, which is an important consideration for improving future food security in a sustainable manner.