International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste

  The International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste is an opportunity to call to action both the public (national or local authorities) and the private sector (businesses and individuals), to prioritise actions and move ahead with innovation to reduce food loss and waste towards restoring and building back better and resilient-ready, food systems.  

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Bolster financing efforts throughout the Waste supply chain.

In 2024, UNEP marked the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (#IDAFLW) with a global push to bolster financing efforts throughout the supply chain. Take a look back!

Food loss and waste has a negative impact on food security, economic development and environment. Find the facts & ways to address it. We al

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Why reducing food loss and waste matters?

Looking for reasons to reduce Food Loss and Food Waste?

Food loss and waste also translate into a substantial economic loss. This impacts not only producers but also consumers and nations, not to mention livelihoods and economic stability. Moreover, food waste in landfills contributes to 8 to 10 percent of total agrifood system emissions, impacting climate change and environmental sustainability. Global facts

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Reducing food loss and waste helps protect our planet by reducing pressure on land and water resources.

How reducing food loss and waste is good for people and the planet?

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Reducing food loss and waste can contribute to improving nutrition and food security.

How reducing food loss and waste is good for people and the planet?

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Reducing food loss and waste contribute to boosting productivity and generating economic growth.

How reducing food loss and waste is good for people and the planet?

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By reducing household food waste we can contribute to reduce our own carbon footprint.

How reducing food loss and waste is good for people and the planet?

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Reducing food loss and waste contributes to making our agrifood systems more efficient and sustainable.

How reducing food loss and waste is good for people and the planet?

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The complex challenge of food loss and waste requires a systemic approach.

Effective collaboration through a public-private partnership is one potential solution to the reduction of food loss and waste, alleviation of food insecurity and delivery of environmental benefits. To take a collective approach is to recognize that no one actor can solve the problem alone, and that collaboration can create a movement that is more than the sum of its parts. “Stop Food Loss and waste, for the people, for the planet.” International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste 2024.

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Maximizing Every Dollar for Food Waste Solutions.

To recognize International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, ReFED's Angel Veza gives a primer on the ReFED Catalytic Grant Fund and its impact on grantees and the food waste space.

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Tackling Household Food Waste in Japan.

Japan produces around five million tons of edible food waste annually, with half of it coming from households.

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Working across the food system to cut food loss and waste in support of national and international goals.

In the U.S., a staggering 38% of all food goes unsold or uneaten – the equivalent of 145 billion meals annually. It's valued at $473 billion, roughly 1.8% of U.S. GDP, and it produces annual greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 30% of U.S. passenger vehicle transportation.

ReFED is a national nonprofit that leverages a holistic view of the food system to collaborate with key audiences and generate large-scale, meaningful impact. Recognized as a leading voice for change, they accomplish the work by: Leveraging Data and insights, Catalyzing Capital & Innovation, Mobilizing Businesses & People.

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Exploring the intersection between food waste and justice, equity, diversity and inclusion.

Food waste reduction efforts often intersect with justice, equity, diversity and inclusion issues. As public-private partnerships work to reduce food waste, it is important that transitions are equitable and inclusive for both consumers and change agents alike. Research into this area is limited; therefore this box does not aim to explore all the inequalities that people may face in reducing food waste globally. A recent publication by U.S.-based nonprofit ReFED is helping to shape the discussion and informs this piece (Herd, Costantino and Leslie 2023).

Advancing data-driven solutions to fight food waste.

Change agents Frontline workers in all sectors of the food system are frequently responsible for implementing food waste reduction interventions, yet they often face systemic inequalities. These inequalities include poor or unsafe working conditions, receiving low wages for long or unsociable working hours, limited benefits and lack of opportunities for progression. Due to working conditions that prioritize efficiency or maximum output, those on the frontline are often unable, or unmotivated, to implement best practices to mitigate food waste generation. This can be exacerbated for women, as a significant proportion of roles within the food system are held by women, both formally and informally and their working conditions tend to be worse than those experienced by men. Improving working conditions, working with employees to develop solutions based on their first-hand experience, and rewarding positive action may empower and enable frontline workers to deliver food waste reductions. Regarding executive and leadership roles, there is evidence that start-ups and nonprofits with leaders from marginalized groups receive less investment and grant funding. Excluding ideas and innovation from proportion s of the population is likely to exclude impactful solutions. Further, only investing in non-marginalized groups risks developing and implementing interventions that only resonate with a proportion of the population. Consumers Food donation is an important near-term fix for food waste, as it allows surplus food that would have become waste to be redistributed to people, oftentimes to those who are food insecure (although food sharing models exist that make surpluses available to all, often purchased at a discounted price). Often, donated items are those that are at risk of becoming waste in the short term, i.e. products with short remaining shelf lives, so may not always be appropriate to the recipient. For instance, food may not be dietarily, culturally or religiously appropriate. There is evidence that a significant proportion of people with disabilities use food banks or food assistance, therefore those with disabilities are more likely to suffer the lack of dignity that is associated with freedom of choice. These challenges can be redressed by service design: solutions such as social supermarkets, often set up like a traditional food retail outlet allowing those in need to choose items from shelves for a heavily discounted price, rather than receiving a predetermined food parcel, are common practice in some countries. Social supermarkets can also afford dignity through reserved time slots by appointment. This would allow marginalized groups, such as senior citizens who are an overrepresented population among food donation recipients, to have priority. As with other food assistance programmes, social supermarkets utilize surplus items that would have become waste. This model gives consumers choice and can in turn lead to reductions in household food waste. Another consideration should be location, to avoid food banks or other food assistance programmes being placed in inaccessible locations, with limited public transport links. Significant proportions of food waste occur at the household level (estimated as 60 per cent in 2022) across all income levels. Ensuring that lower-income households in particular have the food management skills to use up all their food could help them stretch their budgets. Consumer education interventions must be designed to be inclusive for all, considering cultural appropriateness, language and accessibility of information. In mixed-gender households, women are more frequently responsible for food management. Efforts to reduce household food waste are likely to increase the domestic workload for women, resulting in feelings of guilt when food is wasted. Therefore, when designing household food waste interventions there should be consideration not to exacerbate gender inequalities.

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Take action to reduce food loss and waste towards transforming global agrifood systems.

The recording of the global virtual event in observance of the fifth International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste is available here.

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 Highlight the critical need for financing to bolster efforts to reduce food loss and waste.

The fifth observance of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste will highlight the critical need for financing to bolster efforts to reduce food loss and waste, contribute to achieving climate goals and advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The world produces enough food to feed everyone, and yet millions suffer from hunger and malnutrition. Food loss and waste exacerbate this problem by reducing the amount of food available for consumption, thus contributing to food insecurity. Many of the most highly nutritious foods, such as fresh produce, fishery, and animal products are highly perishable and sustain high levels of food loss.

Food loss and waste also translate into a substantial economic loss. This impacts not only producers but also consumers and nations, not to mention livelihoods and economic stability. Moreover, food waste in landfills contributes to 8 to 10 percent of total agrifood system emissions, impacting climate change and environmental sustainability. Read the Global facts

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Contribute to reduce greenhouse gas emissions!

Reducing food loss and waste is a climate solution, which countries and communities can employ to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Successfully doing so will require a significant increase in the quality and quantity of accessible climate finance. Read the Key messages

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Inform, engage, educate!

Get involved in the campaign by sharing our free material on digital channels and spread the word!Trello board

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Statement by EU Commissioner Kyriakides on International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste 2024.

This Sunday 29 September is the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. Food waste has negative impacts across society, affecting not only food security but also our economies and societies.  It is staggering that in 2024, almost one third of the food produced globally is lost or wasted. In Europe alone, 59 million tonnes of food are wasted each year, at the cost of billions of euros. Meanwhile, millions of Europeans cannot afford a healthy meal every day. This is an unacceptable waste of resources, from water and land to energy and labour.

Food loss and waste is also a danger for our environment. Every tonne of food waste contributes to increased greenhouse gas emissions, accelerating climate change and depleting our planet's natural resources. It is therefore our moral and ecological imperative to act.

In the European Union we are committed to halving food waste per capita in retail and consumption by 2030, in line with our pledge under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, which calls for responsible consumption and production worldwide. To accelerate our progress, we have put forward a set of legally binding targets to reduce waste across the food chain, from manufacturing to households. This is what our citizens expect from us.  

Achieving this goal requires the collective effort of all sectors of society—governments, businesses, and individuals. The fight against food waste very much depends upon our daily choices and actions. It is time to improve how we buy and eat food, rethink our food system, and encourage sustainable consumer habits. We will see the positive effects of this also in our wallets with less money spent on wasted food.

This coming Sunday, I urge every European citizen to reflect on what we can do to help the planet, the economy and society around us. Food means life. It is far too precious to end up in the bin.

Let us act together now to make this vision a reality and to all be part of the solution.