nearly 770 million people worldwide are undernourished.

Every year, almost a billion tonnes of food is lost or wasted, or a third of the total amount of food produced worldwide. To put that number into perspective, that’s ten times the mass of the island of Manhattan. 
And while a disproportionate portion of the global food supply is lost between production and consumption, nearly 770 million people worldwide are undernourished. 

Food waste is primarily a global problem that is present throughout the production chain, but it is especially present within households, responsible for more than half of the food thrown away per capita. Responsible for a significant portion of the greenhouse gases emitted by the food system around the world, it ultimately constitutes a devastating scourge for the environment. 

Households, the biggest food wasters
For 121 kg of food wasted each year per inhabitant of the Earth, 74 kg, or well more than half, are wasted at the household level. Globally, households in the Middle East waste the most food, with an annual level of 110 kg per person. 

In France, more than 5.5 million tonnes of food waste are thrown away per year by households, or 85 kg per person. And contrary to what one might first think, the phenomenon affects all countries, regardless of their income levels. 

When the French population is asked about the reasons for this food waste, almost half of French people admit to throwing away a product because it has a bad taste or smell and 35% of them because it is damaged. But this pile of food waste has a cost for households: almost half of the French population loses between 1 and 10 euros per month due to food waste. A figure which can go up to 50 euros for 16% of French people. 

Beyond the economic aspect, food waste represents an immense environmental challenge because it uses natural resources unnecessarily and emits greenhouse gases. 

Source: statista.com