Did you know that one third of the food produced worldwide is lost or wasted? Meanwhile, for 870 million people eating is a daily challenge. That vegetable or the fruit that is spoiling in your fridge or on the shelves at the market takes on another meaning, doesn’t it?
To raise awareness and promote global efforts to solve this problem, the 74th General Assembly of the United Nations designated 29 September as the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (resolution A/RES/74/209). The event, held for the first time this year, is an opportunity to make visible the need to reduce food loss and waste (FLW), and show how this can contribute to sustainable development.
If we analyse the waste or loss beyond our plate, our fridge, or the products available at the store, we will understand that not only are we wasting food but also resources, such as land, seeds, water, and other supplies. These resources are especially costly because, if well managed, they would be the key to enabling more people to eat and also to eat healthily.
Besides approaching the Zero Hunger goal and improving nutrition, the efficient use of land, water and energy resources makes it possible to reduce the environmental impact caused by food production (find more details here). According to FAO data, the loss and waste of food consumes 21% of fresh water, 18% of farmland and 21% of landfills. What are we waiting for to improve these figures?
The starting point is not very encouraging and finding a solution is everyone’s job. Click here to see the figures of all that we are losing and wasting. There is an urgent need: JOIN US!