The focus of the two-day meeting was on food security and nutrition, as well as the impact of climate change on agriculture and food production. The members of G20 said a major reduction in food waste would improve food security.
In their final communique, the ministers said: “We note with great concern the significant extent of food loss and waste … and their negative consequences for food security, nutrition, use of natural resources and the environment.” They added, “We highlight this as a global problem of enormous economic, environmental and societal significance.”
The 2075 United Nations projections for global population growth estimates human numbers peaking at 9.5 billion. This means, by some estimates that by the end of the century, the world will have another three billion mouths to feed. We have to take into account that during this period, the wealth, calorie intake and dietary preferences of people in developing countries will have changed.
In 2014, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that 1.3 billion tons of food or approximately 30 percent of global food production is either lost or wasted. We can look at it this way: One in three loaves of bread or one in three acres of grain is either lost or thrown out. That 30 percent could easily feed the estimated 800 million hungry people in the world today.
These harsh projections present us with wide-ranging social, economic, environmental and political issues that must be addressed. It is not just an issue of producing more food to meet the growing population’s needs, either. It is also necessary that we address how to reduce food loss, starting with the grower and right on up to the transportation, processing and distribution of the food products.
Where is food waste and food loss taking place?
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 2010 identified three population groups across the world, based on their current and projected economic development.
1. Fully developed post-industrial countries like most European countries or the United States. These countries usually have stable or declining populations, increasing in age.
2. Late-stage developing countries, seeing rapid industrialization, growing affluence and a population developing different economic needs. This group includes China, India and other Asian and South American countries.
3. Newly developed countries make up those nations found in sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia. Many are just beginning to industrialize. These countries are showing rapid population growth with a predominantly youthful age profile.
Food waste in the developed world is embarrassing shameful
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack talked with Reuters late on Thursday ahead of the G20 meeting. Vilsack said, “In the developed world, it’s really about reducing the size of portions. It’s about making sure people understand precisely when food is no longer good for human consumption. I think there’s a tendency to throw things away more quickly than need be.”
We can look at the issue of waste, country-by-country, but it is basically the same in the UK and in the U.S. In both countries, consumers throw out 30-40 percent of the food they purchase. Globally, industrialized nations throw out a staggering 1.5 trillion pounds of food annually. That amounts to the entire net food production of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Wasted food is not cheap, by any means. In the U.S., 35 million tons of food waste was produced in 2012, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. This amount of waste costs $162 and $165 billion, and Americans are doing this on an annual basis.
But it’s not just consumers that are responsible for waste food. It goes further back, to the supermarkets. Many supermarket chains will reject a perfectly edible crop if it does not meet exacting marketing standards. This is due to greater customer standards. We have developed a mentality that says if it isn’t perfect in shape, color or size, it isn’t edible. What a waste…..
Food waste is more often food loss in developing countries
Food waste is more often seen at the farmer or producer level in newly developing countries, and many late-stage developing countries. Wastage is blamed on inefficient farming practices, inadequate transportation, and a lack of the necessary infrastructure to handle and store the products.
If we add internal strife, wars, and famine, the situation in most developing nations is made even worse. Looking at the world over the past several years, we have seen water shortages, droughts, and abnormal weather patterns, all affecting agricultural production at some level. It is important that world leaders start addressing global food security soon, before it is too late.
