Dive Summary:
- Roughly one-third of the food grown and produced each year is wasted, according to a report by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization.
- Some 1.3 billion metric tons of food per year is produced, but not eaten. That comes to 30% of the food the planet yields each year.
- Food waste occurs at the end of the cycle in developed nations, as wealthier consumers throw away what they don't eat.
- Waste in developing nations tends to occur earlier in the cycle due to poor agricultural and processing techniques.
- Among the biggest culprits is the meat industry in the Americas, the UN said.
- In industrialized sections of Asia, wasted vegetables come to 221 pounds per person per year.
Dive Insight:
Eliminating food waste has the potential to become a major consumer issue. The issue is already well-known to activists, and the reduction of waste in general is part of the broader "green" movement. But look for food waste reduction to become front of mind. Expect initiatives aimed at school children (like the early recycling education efforts in the 1980s) and a growing interest in food-bank drop offs and at-home composting. (including small-scale, in-apartment composting for city-dwellers.)