Millions Go Hungry, Yet World Wastes 19% of Food, UN Says
Vocabulary
Repeat each word, definition, and example sentence after your tutor.
retailer
Noun
ˈriˌteɪlər
a person or business that sells things to customers for use or consumption, rather than to be sold again
Amazon is the largest online retailer in the world.
chronic
Adjective
ˈkrɑːnɪk
continuing for a long time or happening often
My doctor suggested that my headaches could be caused by chronic stress.
emission
Noun
ɪˈmɪʃən
the production and release of gases, especially those that are bad for the environment
Denmark plans to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 70% by 2030.
avenue
Noun
ˈavɪnjuː
an approach towards achieving a goal or solving a problem
We have two avenues open to us — we either accept their offer or we try to find new partners.
conservation
Noun
ˌkɑːnsərˈveɪʃən
the act of protecting something from change, loss, injury, etc.
Understanding the migration patterns of humpback whales is important for their conservation.
landfill
Noun
ˈlændfɪl
a place where trash is buried under the ground
Plastic items in landfills can take up to 1,000 years to break down.
Article
Millions Go Hungry, Yet World Wastes 19% of Food, UN Says
The world wasted an estimated 19% of the food produced globally in 2022, or about 1.05 billion metric tons, according to a new United Nations report.
The UN Environment Programme's Food Waste Index Report tracks the progress of countries to reduce food waste by half by 2030.
The report is co-authored by UNEP and the charity Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).
Researchers analyzed country data on households, food service and retailers. They found that each person wastes about 79 kilograms of food annually, equal to at least 1 billion meals wasted worldwide daily.
Most of the waste — 60% — came in households. About 28% came from food service, or restaurants, with about 12% from retailers.
The report comes at a time when 783 million people around the world face chronic hunger.
Food waste is also a global concern because of the environmental cost of production, including the land and water required to raise crops and animals and the greenhouse gas emissions it produces.
Food loss and waste generates 8 to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Brian Roe, a food waste researcher at Ohio State University, said the report is important to tackling food waste.
"The key takeaway is that reducing the amount of food that is wasted is an avenue that can lead to many desirable outcomes — resource conservation, fewer environmental damages, greater food security, and more land for uses other than as landfills and food production," said Roe, who wasn't involved in the report.
The report said donating surplus food to food banks and charities — is significant in tackling food waste among retailers.
The report also said that the differences in individual household food waste between high-income and lower-income countries were surprisingly small.
Richard Swannel, a co-author, said that shows food waste "is not a rich world problem. It's a global problem."
"The data is really clear on this point: that here is a problem right around the world and one that we could all tackle tomorrow to save ourselves money and reduce environmental impact," he said.
Discussion
1.
What are your thoughts on UNEP's report?
2.
Are you surprised that each person wastes about 79 kilograms of food per year?
3.
Do you know of any restaurants or supermarkets in your area that donate surplus food?
4.
What do you make of the claim that food waste is not a "rich world problem"?
5.
Have you taken any steps to reduce food waste in your household?
6
Do you often buy more food than you need?
7.
What food items do you often find yourself throwing away?
8.
How difficult do you think it would be to live a zero-waste lifestyle?