Approximately 931 million tons of food waste is produced in the world. 61% of this waste is from households, 26% from restaurants and 13% from retail uses.
According to the data shared by the European Food Information Council (EUFIC) to raise awareness about the 29 September World Food Waste Day; about one-third of the food produced in the world for human consumption is wasted. When we waste food, we also waste all the resources spent on producing and transporting food, such as the use of land, water, and fuel, which are spent on human nutrition, as it fails to fulfill its purpose. When food goes to waste, it also causes greenhouse gas emissions.
About one-third of the food produced for human consumption in the world is lost or wasted. Food waste alone accounts for about 8-10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. If food waste was considered a country, it would be the third largest country in the world in greenhouse gas emissions after China and the USA. According to the latest data, approximately 931 million tons of food waste is produced in the world. 61% of this is from households, 26% from places that serve food, and 13% from uses in the retail sector.
In Europe, about 88 million tons of food waste is produced annually. This is equal to 174 kilograms of waste per person, or 143 billion Euros, or 170 million tons of CO2. Estimates suggest that 10 percent of the 88 million tonnes of food waste produced each year in European countries is somehow linked to date labeling. 53 percent of consumers do not know the meaning of the 'Best Before' and 60 percent of the 'Expiry Date' label.