Reducing Food Waste
In the OIC Member Countries
COMCEC
prevention would increase the availability of food for human consumption, enhance the
efficiency of food systems and reduce resource use and GHG emissions. Figure 22 illustrates the
potential positive socio-economic impacts associated with a reduction in food waste (reflected
as pillars of sustainable livelihoods].
Figure 22: Socio-economic impacts and benefits associated with reduced food waste
Foodloss and
waste Production Harvest Processing Consumer
Environmental impacts Socio-economicimpacts
Pillarsofsustainable
livelihoods
Direct impacts Scarcities
Air
pollution
Climate
change
Energy
Land
occupation
Climate
change
P-resources
Water use Water
pollution
Biodiversity
loss
Ecosystem
services
Deforestation Loss of wild landscape
(grasslands, wetlands)
Increased public costs
increased labour demand
Reduced nutrient availability for human
consumption
Increase in pesticides and nitrate exposure
Increased safety and displacement risks
Reduced access to system services
[regulating, provisioning and supporting)
Food security and nutrition
Health and well-being
Reduced vulnerability
Sustainable use of natural resources
Source: FAO (2014)
Reduced food waste does not only help to increase the supply of food demanded by a growing
population but also produces less GHG emissions (FAO, 2014; SDSN, 2013; WRAP, 2015,],
improves resource efficiency and long-term food security (Tielens and Candel, 2014].
4.1.3. F in a n c ia l a n d e c o n om ic b e n e fits
Using the principal of supply and demand, Rutten et al. (2013] suggest that reductions in food
waste may improve food security and hunger as food prices are lowered and food consumption
is increased. This is elaborated further in a study on the impacts of reducing food waste by
households and retail in the EU (Ruttan et al., 2013], which concluded that by reducing food
waste households could save €92 per person per year, with a 30% reduction in household waste
by 2020 or €150, with a 50% reduction by 2020. This amounts to an annual saving of €56.6
(30% reduction] or €94.4 billion (50% reduction] for the EU in total. This represents an annual
saving of 5% to 9% on the household budget per year.
In a follow-up study by Ruttan et al. (2015] they found that when EU consumers waste less food,
they demand less food as they need to buy less to be as well off as before, therefore both the
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