Reducing food waste could save 153 million people from starvation

Reduce by half the food waste would prevent up to 153 million people from suffering faminewhile reducing greenhouse gas emissions. greenhouse effectFAO and OECD highlighted on Tuesday.

According to the report on the outlook for the agricultural sector to 2033, halving losses and waste along the food chain, from fields to consumers, could reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to agriculture by 4% and reduce the number of undernourished people by 153 million, according to the OECD and FAO.

“While this goal is extremely ambitious, it would require profound changes on the part of both consumers and producers”they acknowledged.

FAO has estimated that “almost one third” of food intended for human consumption is lost or wasted, which represents a waste of resources (seeds, fertilizers, water, energy…) and gas emissions that contribute to global warming (methane from ruminants, nitrogen from fertilizers, among others).

In developing countries, farmers lack adequate facilities to preserve their crops, while elsewhere, overconsumption leads to tons of wasted food.

Fruits and vegetables account for more than half of the losses and waste due to their perishable nature and short shelf life. Cereals come next.The weight share of meat and dairy products is low, probably because households tend to waste less high-value products.“, according to the report.

Reducing food waste could “significantly increase food supply worldwide, as more food would be available and prices would fall, thereby ensuring better access to food for low-income populations,” the international organizations argue.

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