In a world where millions of people lack access to healthy food, tons of food is wasted each year. Foods that are still edible are often discarded as stale, while some people go to bed with an empty stomach. With increasing wealth, people are becoming more and more insensitive to food.
1.3 billion tons of edible food, which is equivalent to one-third of the world’s yearly food production, are wasted each year, enough to feed 3 billion people. The value of this wasted amount of food is about 680 billion dollars.
A report by the World Food Organization claims that 20,000 children worldwide are forced to go without food every day when in reality this figure is far more. Malnutrition and hunger affect more than 25% of the world’s population. Each day between 7,750-15,345 people die from hunger and malnutrition, according to a report from Oxfam. This means 11 people die from hunger each minute.
Food waste results in both public and private economic losses. Inefficient use of food & losses leads to less feeding of the hungry and also a waste in social and human interactions, which fuels the rise of poverty and hunger.
We could reduce global emissions by 8%, free up important land and resources, and preserve enough food to feed the world’s poor if we stopped wasting food.
Love and food are meant for sharing not for wasting.
Video Credits: Manic Edmond Epa