Nearly one-fifth of the food produced globally in 2022 was wasted, despite one-third of the world’s population facing hunger. The U.N. Environment Program’s Food Waste Index Report has revealed that out of the 1.05 billion tons of food waste, 60 percent came from households, while the food service and retail sectors were responsible for 28 percent and 12 percent, respectively. This report comes as the U.N. is monitoring countries’ progress in halving food waste by 2030 under the Sustainable Development Goals, with Japan being among the only four countries in G20 and European Union with waste estimates suitable for tracking progress towards the target year.
Japan has made significant strides in reducing its food waste, with a decrease of 31 percent in 2020 compared to 2008. On average, each person discards approximately 79 kilograms of food annually, equivalent to about two meals per day for those impacted by hunger globally. The report also highlighted how unnecessary food loss and waste have a substantial impact on the environment, generating around eight to ten percent of annual global greenhouse gas emissions.
UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen emphasized that this issue is not just an economic problem but also a development issue that requires international cooperation and policy development to achieve the goal set by the Sustainable Development Goals to halve food waste by 2030. The report called on G20 countries to lead in international cooperation and share their expertise with other nations starting to address this issue.