Visitors Now:
Total Visits:
Total Stories:
Profile image
By Human Wrongs Watch
Contributor profile | More stories
Story Views

Now:
Last Hour:
Last 24 Hours:
Total:

Up to One Third Lost, Wasted – Save Food!

Sunday, November 4, 2012 10:50
% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.

(Before It's News)

Human Wrongs Watch

Up to 1.3bn tonnes of food lost or wasted … yearly. Recent studies commissioned by UN Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated yearly global quantitative food losses and waste at roughly 30% for cereals; 40–50% for root crops, fruits and vegetables; 20% for oilseeds, meat and dairy; and 30% for fish.

Source: FAO

Food losses refer to the decrease in edible food mass available for human consumption throughout the different segments of the supply chain, according to FAO report.

“In addition to quantitative losses, food products can also face a deterioration of quality, leading to a loss of economic and nutritional value. Food waste refers to food losses resulting from decisions to discard food that still has value,” it adds.

Retailers, Service, Consumers

“Food waste is most often associated with the behaviour of retailers, the food service sector and consumers, but food waste and losses take place all along food supply chains.”

Accurate estimations of the magnitude of losses and waste are still lacking, particularly in developing countries. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that the levels of food loss and waste remain unacceptably high.

Recent studies commissioned by FAO estimated yearly global quantitative food losses and waste at roughly 30% for cereals; 40–50% for root crops, fruits and vegetables; 20% for oilseeds, meat and dairy; and 30% for fish.

The SAVE FOOD Initiative

The SAVE FOOD Initiative is a joint campaign instituted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and Messe Düsseldorf GmbH to fight global food loss.

SAVE FOOD aims at networking stakeholders in industry, politics and research, encouraging dialogue and helping to develop solutions along the food value chain. One of its aims is to enlist the support of industry in initiating and sponsoring its own SAVE FOOD projects.

SAVE FOOD premiered in May 2011 with an international congress at interpack, the world’s most important trade fair for the packaging industry.

FAO is collaborating with donors, bi- and multi-lateral agencies and financial institutions (UNIDO, African Development Bank, World Bank, IFAD, WFP, EU) and private sector partners (the food packaging industry and others) to develop and implement the programme on food loss and waste reduction.

Learn more about SAVE FOOD Initiative here.

Read also:

Rising Voracious Consumption, Living as If We Had Two Planets

Food Inequality Equation: 1.5 Billion Obese; 925 Million Hungry

God, What a Future!

Demand for Life’s Essentials: 50% More Food, 40% More Energy and… 35% More Water

Save The Planet? Just Eat Cars, Drink Fuel!

The Seed Emergency – The Big Threat to Food, Democracy

Big Business Stealing Seeds, Devouring Life Cycle

Urban Population in 2050: 1.2 Billion in Africa, 3.3 Billion in Asia

Voracious Consumption

2012 Human Wrongs Watch

Filed under: Africa, Asia, Latin America & Caribbean, Market Lords, Middle East, Mother Earth, Others-USA-Europe-etc., The Peoples



Source:

Report abuse

Comments

Your Comments
Question   Razz  Sad   Evil  Exclaim  Smile  Redface  Biggrin  Surprised  Eek   Confused   Cool  LOL   Mad   Twisted  Rolleyes   Wink  Idea  Arrow  Neutral  Cry   Mr. Green

Top Stories
Recent Stories

Register

Newsletter

Email this story
Email this story

If you really want to ban this commenter, please write down the reason:

If you really want to disable all recommended stories, click on OK button. After that, you will be redirect to your options page.