“Hunger in the world is increasing. However, approximately one third of all food produced globally is lost or wasted. We all have a role to play in reducing food loss and waste, not just because of the food but because of the resources it takes to produce it.” This is how drastic the FAO is, calling on both governments and international organizations, the private sector and civil society to raise awareness of the situation “and implement actions to address the root of the problem”, as well as “carry out Policies to reduce food loss and waste.
Food waste figures are truly alarming at all levels. According to data from the latest report by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, corresponding to 2021, Spaniards waste a total of 1,245.88 million kilos of food, which means that, despite awareness campaigns, in 13 .8 million households continue to waste food. This figure, however, is lower than that of the 2020 financial year, specifically by 8.6%, which suggests that both the different campaigns against waste and the economic crisis and the pandemic are factors that can explain this moderation.
However, great progress is still needed to curb this situation, as the campaign points out.
There are many things that can be done at home to prevent this phenomenon, although the current pace of life often does not make it easy for us. “In an ideal world, it would be perfect to be able to buy fresh food every day or every two days, because the fact of having to do the weekly shopping, in many cases due to lack of time, means that we do not calculate correctly or that the week simply does not end coming out as we have planned it”, says Carlos García, head of Communication for the Too Good to Go platform. This app was born in Denmark in 2016, when a group of friends decided to be able to sell at discounted prices all that food from restaurants or stores that had not been sold and was going to waste. They use the concept of “saving” food, which in addition to having an economic and social impact on users also has a positive influence on the environment. “Food waste is responsible for up to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, the challenge is to get the food produced to be equal to the food consumed”, he points out.
According to data from the Food Waste Report 2021, prepared by the United Nations, these are the foods that are wasted the most in the world:
