United Nations Environment Programme’s Food Waste Index Report (FWIR) 2024

United Nations Environment Programme’s Food Waste Index Report (FWIR) 2024: In 2022, the world wasted 1.05 billion tonnes of food — nearly 20% of all food available to consumers, as per the FWIR report.

• Key highlights of the report: India ranks among the top contributors to this global issue, demanding immediate attention due to its moral and environmental implications.
  • Food Wastage vs Food Loss:

  o Food Wastage: Includes edible and inedible parts discarded from the food supply chain, from manufacturing and retail to restaurants and households.

  o Food Loss: Occurs earlier in the supply chain due to poor storage, transport, and handling.

  • India’s Position: Second-highest food-wasting nation after China.
  • Per capita household food waste in India: 55 kilograms annually (lower than the U.S. — 73 kg), but large population leads to immense total waste.

  o India discards about 78 million tonnes of food annually, while over 20 crore Indians go to bed hungry.

  • Environmental Impact:

  o Resource-intensive production: Wasting food means wasting land, water, and energy.

  o Contributes 10%-12% of total municipal waste in India, leading to methane emissions from landfills.

  o Global emissions: Food loss and waste generate 8%-10% of annual greenhouse gas emissions.

  o If food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter after China and the U.S.

  • Social Injustice: Wastage prevents food from reaching the needy, hindering progress toward SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 12.3 (Reduce Food Waste).
  • Initiatives: India’s “Save Food Share Food” programme shows the potential of large-scale redistribution efforts.