Households across the globe wasted over one billion meals a day in 2022, even as 783 million people struggled with hunger and a third of humanity faced food insecurity, according to the Food Waste Index Report 2024.
The study was jointly authored by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme), a U.K.-based non-profit.
The report, released ahead of the International Day of Zero Waste (March 30), noted that in 2022, there were 1.05 billion tonnes of food waste generated (including inedible parts).
Out of the total food wasted in 2022, 60% happened at the household level, with food services responsible for 28%, and retail 12%, the report observed.
The average levels of household food waste for high-income, upper-middle, and lower-middle-income countries differing by just 7 kg per capita.