Speech prepared for the first International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste
QU Dongyu, Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
H.E. Luis Basterra, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries, Argentine Republic
H.E. Maria Ubach Font, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Principality of Andorra
H.E. Luca Beccari, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Economic Cooperation and Telecommunications of the Republic of San Marino
H.E. Bekir Pakdemirli, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Republic of Türkiye
H.E. Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner, Health and Food Safety, European Commission
Gilbert F. Houngbo, President, International Fund for Agriculture Development
David Beasley, Executive Director, World Food Programme
The first International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste could not be timelier, as the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the social and environmental impact of the issue.
We lose and waste absurd quantities of food in a world where over 800 million people go hungry each year. In fact, the World Food Programme has warned that hunger will grow this year as a result of the global pandemic. Meanwhile, food loss and waste contribute to the three planetary crises we face: the climate crisis, the biodiversity and nature crisis; and the pollution and waste crisis – wasting inputs such as land and water and causing greenhouse gas emissions.
We must hit the target set out in SDG 12.3 to halve per-capita food waste by 2030 at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.
There has been progress. The United Kingdom reduced its food loss and waste by 27 percent between 2007 and 2018. Some big retailers have delivered loss and waste reductions of over 30 per cent. Consumers are more aware of food waste. During the pandemic, many people planned their shops better and cooked with leftovers.
However, we must intensify action. Here are four ways in which we can do so.
One, make food loss and waste part of national climate strategies.
If food loss and waste were a country, it would be the third-largest greenhouse gas emitter. But only 11 countries included food loss in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). None of them included food waste. By including food loss and waste and sustainable diets in revised climate plans, policymakers can improve their mitigation and adaptation from food systems by as much as 25 per cent.
UNEP’s new report with WWF, Enhancing NDCs for Food Systems, provides guidelines to help governments reduce the climate impact of their food systems.
Two, expand cold chains while minimizing their climate impact.
As FAO tells us, about 14 per cent of food spoils before it reaches retailers. Expanding cold chains will reduce food loss by keeping it fresh post-harvest and in transit. But it will come with a climate price tag if we are not careful. This is because current cold chain systems use high global warming potential refrigerants and electricity derived from fossil fuels.
To expand sustainably, we must lean into international processes such as the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol. The Kigali Amendment is not just a global commitment to phase down climate-warming gases in the cooling industry. It is an opportunity to redesign cooling equipment to be more energy efficient.
Three, increase measurement of food waste to make the case for action and track progress to 2030.
Food waste data is still scarce. What we have seen suggests it is not just a developed nation problem. For example, a 2019 UN-Habitat analysis of Municipal Solid Waste in Nairobi, Kenya found rates of household food waste at 100 kg per capita per year, similar to Canada. UNEP will publish new estimates of food waste at country level next year, through the Food Waste Index, and launch five regional working groups to help countries develop baselines.
In 2021, the first-ever UN Food Systems Summit convened by the UN Secretary-General aims to galvanize global commitment and action to transform our food systems.
Four, encourage consumers to change their behaviour.
Project Drawdown ranked reducing food waste as its number one climate solution for individuals. We must push for more engagement and awareness. This is why I am happy to announce the appointment of UNEP’s new Goodwill Ambassador, world-renowned chef Massimo Bottura. Massimo’s Food for Soul organization recovers surplus food to feed people in situations of social and economic vulnerability. With his help, we can encourage more people to change their food habits.
I urge everybody to do what they can in these four areas to reduce food loss and waste. This is one of the best ways to back a healthy climate and healthy nature, which are so fundamental to our future health and prosperity.
Thank you.
Executive Director
