The shocking cost of Food Waste

30 percent of the global food supply is wasted – the retail equivalent of $1 trillion of food each year.

In addition to the retail cost of food lost, another $700 billion is wasted in natural resources, including $172 billion in wasted water, $42 billion in cleared forest and $429 billion in greenhouse gas costs.

But what is most shocking to me are the social costs that are also linked to the food wasted in storage, in transit and rotting on store and home shelves.  Wasted food also means $150 billion in human health costs because of pesticides (implying that the 70% of food not wasted also costs us $350 billion a year in health costs because of chemical use in the fields).  $280 billion in loss of livelihoods (as natural resources become more scarce) is also tossed out the window when we throw away food.

Lets also not forget the costs we have not yet calculated.  Loss of wetlands used to purify local water supplies or even the cost of scarce agricultural inputs such as phosphorus are costs we currently do not understand.

And another point to make is not only not to purchase only what you can consume.  It is also critical we find better means of storing food – especially in places with little electricity – and of transporting it without massive loss.  Food waste is the low hanging fruit, ready to be used to feed the world’s hungry and to ensure food security for all.

I came across this video from Food and Agriculture Origanization that asks us to wake up and take notice of this global increasing problem of Food wastage. All of us would not want mankind to face a day of food shortage and starvation all around the world. And these problems are already faced in many differrent parts of the world.

PLEASE DON'T WASTE FOOD...