Loss & waste

What’s lost along the way?

To put 2000 calories on the plate, an average of 4600 calories have to be harvested from the fields worldwide. The Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that 1.3 billion tonnes (or 32 percent of all food) is either lost or wasted: in the field, after harvesting, during processing and transportation, in supermarkets, bakeries, restaurants and in private households.

In industrialised countries, food is now so cheap that its real value is no longer appreciated. This is true in agriculture, trade, industry, restaurants and in many private households. Everything must be available fresh until closing time, best-before dates are misleading, the waste bin is filling up. As long as it has been sold beforehand, waste means good business! In the non-industrial regions of the world, losses after the harvest are often higher due to the climate and lack of technology. Consumers there, on the other hand, are much more careful with their food.