"Food loss and waste is food that is not eaten."
The ethics behind food waste and its environmental impact, including ways to reduce or prevent food waste, promoting sustainable farming practices and supporting sustainable food systems.
Food waste: The causes and consequences of food waste, the ethical and environmental implications, and ways to prevent food waste.
Sustainable agriculture: The methods and principles of producing food in a way that ensures ecological, economic, and social sustainability and reduces waste.
Food distribution: The logistics and ethics of getting food from the point of production to the point of consumption, including transportation, storage, and access.
Food packaging: The environmental impact of packaging and sustainable alternatives to traditional packaging, such as biodegradable materials and reusable containers.
Consumer behavior: The role of consumer behavior in food waste and sustainability, including shopping habits, meal planning, and waste reduction strategies.
Food sovereignty: The right of peoples and communities to choose their own food systems and the social, ecological, and economic benefits of local food production and consumption.
Food security: The availability, access, and quality of food in different regions of the world and the social and economic implications of food insecurity.
Food justice: The fair and equitable distribution of food, the right to food, and the social and environmental dimensions of food justice.
Sustainable food production: Alternative methods of food production, such as urban agriculture, aquaponics, and permaculture, that are socially and ecologically sustainable.
Food waste management: Strategies for reducing, recycling, and composting food waste from households, businesses, and institutions, and the social and environmental benefits of these practices.
Leftovers: Food that is not consumed and goes to waste after a meal.
Expired food: Food that has passed its expiration date and is deemed unsafe to consume.
Overproduction: When food is produced in excess and cannot be sold or consumed before it goes bad.
Packaging waste: The waste generated from food packaging, such as plastic and paper materials.
Farming waste: The waste generated from farming practices, such as soil erosion and pesticides.
Transportation waste: The waste generated from food transportation, such as fuel emissions and transportation packaging.
Food loss: Loss that occurs during the production, transit, and storage of food products.
Water waste: The waste of water resources during the production of food due to inefficient irrigation practices.
Animal waste: The waste generated from animal products, such as discarded meat and bones.
Energy waste: The waste of energy resources during the production, processing, and distribution of food.
"The causes of food waste or loss are numerous and occur throughout the food system, during production, processing, distribution, retail, and food service sales, and consumption."
"Overall, about one-third of the world's food is thrown away."
"The analysis estimated that global food waste was 931 million tonnes of food waste (about 121 kg per capita) across three sectors: 61 percent from households, 26 percent from food service, and 13 percent from retail."
"Food loss and waste is a major part of the impact of agriculture on climate change (it amounts to 3.3 billion tons of CO2e emissions annually) and other environmental issues, such as land use, water use, and loss of biodiversity."
"Prevention of food waste is the highest priority."
"Reuse pathways of surplus food intended for human consumption, such as food donation, is the next best strategy after prevention."
"The least preferred option [for food waste treatment] is landfill, which is a major source of the greenhouse gas methane."
"Reducing food waste in all parts of the food system is an important part of reducing the environmental impact of agriculture, by reducing the total amount of water, land, and other resources used."
"The UN's Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3 seeks to 'halve global per capita food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses' by 2030."
"Climate change mitigation strategies prominently feature reducing food waste."
"In the 2022 United Nations Biodiversity Conference, nations agreed to reduce food waste by 50% by the year 2030."
"A 2021 meta-analysis that did not include food lost during production, by the United Nations Environment Programme, found that food waste was a challenge in all countries at all levels of economic development."
"61 percent [of food waste comes] from households."
"26 percent [of food waste comes] from food service."
"13 percent [of food waste comes] from retail."
"The least preferred option, landfill, [is] a major source of the greenhouse gas methane."
"Reuse pathways of surplus food intended for human consumption, such as food donation, [are] the next best strategy after prevention."
"Food loss and waste [contribute to] other environmental issues, such as land use, water use, and loss of biodiversity."
"Food loss and waste [contribute to] 3.3 billion tons of CO2e emissions annually."