Indian and Chinese households top the global food wastage list

A lot is going to waste

Have you ever cleaned your fridge and thrown away uneaten, almost rotting food? Here’s a not-so-fun fact, each one of us is wasting 74 kilos of food every year, according to data by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

What’s the total waste?

931 million tonnes – that’s how much the world is wasting across households, retail establishments and the food service industry.

Households, the biggest culprit

Whom can wasted food feed?

Greenhouse gasses

It’s not just what we eat, but what we waste that is also killing the environment. If food loss and waste were a country, it would be the third-biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions, says the UNEP Food Waste Index Report.

The biggest wasters – India & China

China is on the top of the food waste chain with 91.6 million tonnes of household wastage per annum, which works out to 64 kilos of wastage per person.

The Great Indian Kitchen

India holds the dubious distinction of being the country with the second-highest household wastage of food — at 68.7 million tonnes. Each Indian wastes around 50 kilos per annum.

US stands at no 3

Every American household wastes as much as 59 kilos per annum, and the country stands third in terms of food wastage. It’s followed by Japan, Germany and France.

How to stop the waste?

Since most of the wastage happens at the home level, addressing the role of consumer behaviour in all cultural contexts is important, the agency says.

Buy less

Let us all shop carefully, cook creatively and make wasting food anywhere socially unacceptable, says UNEP.