UK Study Reveals Staggering New Figures on Food Waste
By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
Half of all the food produced in the world, two billion tonnes worth, ends up being thrown away and wasted according to a new study released by a UK based Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
According to the study, 30% to 50% of 1.2 billion tonnes of food never gets eaten. The study also found that in the UK alone up to 40% of vegetables crops are not even harvested from the fields because their physical appears doesn’t meet consumer expectations.
The report also points out that not only is food being wasted, but large amounts of water are also being wasted on global food production. The figure presented in the report was that an estimated 550 billion cubic metres of water is being used to grow crops that aren’t being consumed.
The alarming report comes at a time when global population is expected to reach 9.5 billion by 2075, according to United Nations estimates – which means an extra three billion people to feed than what we currently have now.
There have been several reports published in both Canada and the U.S. fairly recently that has also brought to light issues relating to food waste. The US report found that roughly 40% of food is wasted in the nation - generating $165 billion dollars’ worth of food waste every year. The Canadian report published in Oct. 2012 that found that Canadians alone waste billions of dollars a year, most of which was linked to household waste.