How we can stop wasting 1.3 billion tonnes of food each year

Every year, 1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted globally, the equivalent of one-third of all food produced for human consumption. But wasted food isn’t just a social or humanitarian concern—it’s an environmental one. When we waste food, we also waste all the energy and water it takes to grow, harvest, transport, and package it. And if food goes to the landfill and rots, it produces methane—a greenhouse gas even more potent than carbon dioxide. But there is good news. A new study shows that the world can eliminate nearly half of the food waste only if it refrigerates its food across all supply chains.

The study conducted by the University of Michigan states that the world could thereby save about 620 million metric tonnes of food and reduce food waster related emissions by 41 per cent. The study, published in Environmental Research Letters, a peer-reviewed journal, focuses on food losses in the post-harvest to retail stages of the food supply chain and does not address on-farm or at-home losses. It also takes into account greenhouse gases emitted during food production, exclusive of emissions from refrigeration or other supply-chain operations and food waste in landfills.

The researchers created a tool to estimate how better access to refrigeration could reduce food waste and greenhouse gas emissions for seven types of food in seven regions. They used data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and other sources. By analysing food waste at each stage of the supply chain, the study shows where refrigeration can be improved to cut down on food waste and emissions. The researchers looked at the difference between the current, inconsistent refrigeration systems and a perfect system with high-quality refrigeration at every stage.

The researchers say their easy-to-use tool will be helpful for anyone involved in the food supply chain, like farmers, grocery stores, government officials and NGOs. The study found that meat causes more than 50 per cent of food waste-related greenhouse gas emissions, even though it makes up less than 10 per cent of global food waste by weight. Better refrigeration of meat could cut more than 43 per cent of these emissions. However, the actual amount of emissions saved will depend on how efficient the refrigeration technology is and how much carbon is used to produce electricity locally because refrigeration itself can cause emissions.

The study explains that Sub Saharan Africa is capable of preventing the most losses in food by 47 per cent and related emissions by 66 per cent by increasing specialised storage and transport of food. The Food and Agriculture Organization states that about 40 per cent of food in Kenya is lost post-harvest, with fruits and vegetables being the most commonly wasted food in households, followed by staple foods like maize, rice and wheat. Unconsumed food ends up in dumpsites.

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