Reducing Food Waste
In the OIC Member Countries
COMCEC
Energy associated with food waste can be significant. For example, in the US food waste
represents the energy equivalent of 350 million barrels of oil per year. This is enough to power
the whole country for a week (BSR, 2011]. Table 26 below illustrates some equivalents to
demonstrate the energy impact associated with food waste.
Table 12: Comparison of the energy impact of food waste and daily activities
Wasting a loaf of bread equates to: Wasting a beef steak equates to:
Driving a car for 3km Driving a car for 5 km
Lighting a lamp (60 W) for 32 hours Lighting a lamp (60 W) for 70 hours
Running a dishwasher 2 times Running a dishwasher 4 times
Source: Adaptedfrom Bouzon et al. (2016)
2.4. E c o n om ic a n d soc ia l im p a c t
The cost of food waste incorporates the cost of agricultural production and land, supply chain
and retail costs, and treatment and disposal. According to the FAO, the direct economic
consequences of wasted agricultural products (excluding fish and seafood] is estimated at
US$750 billion per year globally (based on producer prices] (Gustavsson et al., 2011]. At the
household level, many regions and countries have reported the value of food thrown away e.g.
an individual is said to throw US$528 of food away each year (France Nature Environment,
2010] and in Belgium US$230. Statistics South Africa (2011] estimate that post-food waste costs
about 0.7% of the country’s total GDP. This includes edible food waste that could be used to feed
the poor.
In addition, economic losses should be compensated by the actors of the food supply chain,
which may have an impact on food prices with the cost often transferred to consumers. Food
waste can impact on food prices (Ruttan, 2013] and contribute to more strained commodity
markets (for example HLPE, 2011 &2013], and therefore an increase in food prices, which raises
concerns about the impact on poor people.
In an annual assessment of global hunger in 2013, the FAO reported that that “the world
produces enough food to feed everyone”, yet at the same time an estimated one in eight people
suffer from chronic undernourishment. The causes of hunger and malnutrition are complex and
cannot be directed at food waste entirely. Nevertheless, food waste does result in a decrease in
food availability and access, and compromises food security at a community and household level
(HLPE, 2014]. According to The Economist Intelligence Unit, food waste has a moderately strong
relationship with overall food security (EUI, 2014].
34