Food and climate
Households threw away 631 million tonnes of food in 2022
That is 60% of the 1.05 billion tonnes of food wasted worldwide. Food service wasted 290 million tonnes and retail 131 million.
19 in every 100 tonnes of food that reach shops, restaurants and homes are thrown away.
That was 1.05 billion tonnes in 2022.
Households produced 60% of the world's food waste in 2022
Food waste by sector, million tonnes (Mt), 2022
Food service produced 290 million tonnes, or 28%. Retail produced 131 million tonnes, or 12%.
0103Household food waste by income group
Households in high-income countries waste 81 kg of food per person a year. In upper-middle-income countries the figure is 88 kg. In lower-middle-income countries it is 86 kg.
Household food waste per person per year, by country income group
0203Lost and wasted food causes 4.4 billion tonnes of emissions a year
Growing, transporting and chilling food uses land, fertiliser and fuel. Food releases methane when it rots. Lost and wasted food causes 8 to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Annual greenhouse gas emissions, billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Wasted food includes losses before retail
0303733 million people faced hunger in 2023
1 in 11people in the world faced hunger in 2023.
The UN target is to halve food waste by 2030
Britain and Japan publish household food waste figures. Britain has cut household waste by 18% and Japan by 31%.
Measure household food waste and publish the figure every year.
State on packaging that “best before” refers to quality and “use by” refers to safety.
Plan meals before shopping and freeze food that will not be eaten in time.