Half of All Food Produced in The World Ends up Thrown Away

Jan 11, 2013

UK Study Reveals Staggering New Figures on Food Waste

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.

Video: How Can We Grow More Food With Less Impact?

For over two decades, Dr. Mitloehner has been at the forefront of research on how animal agriculture affects our air and our climate. With deep expertise in emissions and volatile organic compounds, his work initially focused on air quality in regions like California’s Central Valley—home to both the nation’s richest agricultural output and some of its poorest air quality.

In recent years, methane has taken center stage in climate discourse—not just scientifically, but politically. Once a topic reserved for technical discussions about manure management and feed efficiency, it has become a flashpoint in debates over sustainability, regulation, and even the legitimacy of livestock farming itself.

Dr. Frank Mitloehner, Professor and Air Quality Specialist with the CLEAR Center sits down with Associate Director for Communications at the CLEAR Center, Joe Proudman.