Half of the world's food ‘is just thrown away’
As much as half
of all the food produced in the world - two billion tonnes worth - ends
up being thrown away, a new report claims.
The waste is caused by poor infrastructure and storage facilities,
over-strict sell-by dates, “get-one-free” offers, and consumer
fussiness, according to the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
Each year the world produces some four billion tonnes of food.
But between 30 percent and 50 percent of this total, amounting to 1.2
to two billion tonnes, never gets eaten, says the report Global Food;
Waste Not, Want Not.
In the UK, up to 30 percent of vegetable crops are not harvested
because their physical appearance fails to meet the exacting demands of
consumers.
Half the food purchased in Europe and the US is thrown away after it
is bought, the report said.
Vast quantities of water are also wasted in global food production,
it is claimed. Around 550 billion cubic metres of water is used to grow
crops that never reach the consumer, according to the report.
Producing one kilogram of meat is also said to take 20 to 50 times
more water than producing the same weight of vegetables.
The demand for water in food production could reach 10 to 13 trillion
cubic metres a year by 2050, the institution said. This is up to 3.5
times greater than the total amount of fresh water used by humans today,
raising the spectre of dangerous water shortages.
Dr Tim Fox, head of energy and environment at the Institution of
Mechanical Engineers, said: “The amount of food wasted and lost around
the world is staggering.
This is food that could be used to feed the world's growing
population - as well as those in hunger today. It is also an unnecessary
waste of the land, water and energy resources that were used in the
production, processing and distribution of this food.
“The reasons for this situation range from poor engineering and
agricultural practices, inadequate transport and storage infrastructure
through to supermarkets demanding cosmetically perfect foodstuffs and
encouraging consumers to overbuy through buy-one-get-one free offers.”
By 2075 the United Nations predicts that the world's population will
reach around 9.5 billion, resulting in an extra three billion mouths to
feed. Added stresses on the ability of the world to feed itself include
global warming and the growing popularity of meat, which needs around 10
times more resources than staple plant foods such as rice or potatoes.
Dr Fox said: “As water, land and energy resources come under
increasing pressure from competing human demands, engineers have a
crucial role to play in preventing food loss and waste by developing
more efficient ways of growing, transporting and storing foods.
“But for this to happen governments, development agencies and
organisation such as the UN must work together to help change people's
mindsets on waste and discourage wasteful practices by farmers, food
producers, supermarkets and consumers.”
- PA
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