Private companies are stepping up to tackle food waste, a new report finds, but governments lag behind in the race to meet a United Nations goal of cutting wasted food in half by 2030. The report was compiled by a coalition of executives and leaders of private companies, non-profits, and government agencies, called Champions 12.3, that work to reduce food waste internationally.
In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted several Sustainable Development Goals, including one to “ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.” That goal calls for cutting global food waste by 50 percent by 2030. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that one-third of all food produced in the world is wasted, totaling about $940 billion in economic losses.
Overall, private companies are on track to meet the goal, the report finds. “Sixty percent of the world’s 50 largest food companies, by revenue, have set specific food loss and waste reduction targets,” and “ten percent of the world’s 50 largest food companies have active food loss and waste reduction programs.” Kroger, Walmart, Unilever, and Aldi are among the food companies setting internal targets for reducing food waste.
Governments, though, are on a slower pace, at risk of not meeting the goal’s target by 2030. Countries that “have quantified base-year food loss and waste and have started reporting on food loss and waste” and “are actively working at scale to reduce food loss and waste” represent just 20 percent of the global population.
Food waste has become a pressing concern for many foundations and government organizations working on environmental issues. On-farm food waste can deflate profits for farm owners, and at-home food waste can reduce the buying power of consumers. The FAO has found that wasted food alone generates 8 percent of global annual greenhouse gas emissions.
In North America and Oceania, 42 percent of available food is wasted, the highest rate of all regions in the world. About 61 percent of that food waste happens on the consumer end of the supply chain. In Sub-Saharan Africa, where 23 percent of available food is wasted, 76 percent of food waste occurs in production or handling and storage, and just 5 percent occurs with consumers.