Nauni, Solan: Experts at Dr. YS Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry stressed the urgent need to reduce food waste for a sustainable future during an event marking the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste.
Experts highlighted that approximately 14% of food produced globally is lost before it reaches consumers, with inefficiencies during harvest and distribution being significant contributors. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.3, which seeks to halve global food waste by 2030, was a focal point of the discussions, with experts urging India to build on its progress.
India’s post-harvest losses have dropped from over 18% in 2010 to about 15% in 2022, but further reduction is essential to achieve single-digit losses by 2030.
The economic and environmental costs of food waste were emphasized, with around 1.3 billion tons of food being wasted globally each year. This staggering figure represents nearly one-third of all food produced and carries an estimated economic loss of $1 trillion annually. Moreover, food waste contributes to 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating climate change. Methane, a potent greenhouse gas, is generated by decomposing food in landfills, making food waste a significant contributor to environmental degradation.
Experts called for increased efforts to minimize food wastage during social gatherings and encouraged individuals to take responsibility for reducing waste. They underscored that curbing food waste is essential for improving food security, lowering carbon footprints, and making food systems more efficient.
Organized under the All India Coordinated Research Project on Post-Harvest Engineering and Technology, the event brought attention to food loss’s global and national implications, urging immediate action. The event also pointed out that valuable resources, such as 25% of the world’s freshwater and 30% of agricultural land, are used to produce food that goes uneaten. Reducing food loss and waste would help conserve these resources while contributing to global sustainability goals.
