State of the Planet

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Wasting Food = Wasting Water

Inside a dumpster. Photo credit: sporkist

The world is teetering on the edge of a food crisis due to the growing population, soaring food prices, and water scarcity, yet a shocking one third of the food produced around the world goes to waste. A new report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) found that 1.3 billion tons of food are lost each year, which means that the resources used to produce that food are also lost. “As much as half of the water used to grow food globally may be lost or wasted,” said Dr. Charlotte de Fraiture, a researcher at the International Water Management Institute. Curbing this waste is one solution to the global water crisis since the water used to produce food that is wasted could otherwise be used for drinking water or industry, to irrigate different crops or to replenish aquifers.

A recent report about the United Kingdom’s food waste stated that U.K. households discard 8.3 million metric tons (2205 lbs.) of food and drink each year, most of which could be eaten. This is equivalent to wasting 64 gallons of water per person each day, 1½ times the amount an average U.K. household uses daily.

In the U.S., almost half the food supply worth over $48.3 billion is lost each year, which amounts to wasting 10.5 trillion gallons of water—enough to meet the water needs of 500 million people. The average American family of four discards 112 lbs. of food each month.

Curtailing food waste would reduce the water needed for agriculture, which is responsible for the consumption of 70% of U.S. freshwater resources.

Photo credit: -wink-

In fact, according to Tristram Stuart, author of Waste: Uncovering the Global Food Scandal, the irrigation water used globally to grow all the wasted food would be enough to meet the domestic needs of the projected 2050 global population of 9 billion people.

Moreover, wasted food, most of which is sent to landfills, contributes to global warming as each metric ton of food generates 4.5 times that amount of C02. Decomposing food in landfills also produces methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than C02. The growing of food that never gets eaten is actually responsible for 10% of the greenhouse gases emitted by wealthy countries like the U.K. and the U.S.

Food is wasted all along the food supply chain, from the farm to the food on our tables. In developing countries, 40% of waste occurs at the post-harvest and processing phases, while in rich countries, 40% of waste occurs at the retail and consumer stages, but industrialized countries waste substantially more food per capita than developing countries.

In developing countries, food waste occurs in the field where crops are lost to pests and disease, and in transport and storage because farmers do not have the equipment and technology necessary to get the food to market before it spoils. In both poor and rich countries, 10% to 15% of food is damaged or rots in transit.

Photo credit: jbloom

And at the retail stage, U.S. supermarkets, which routinely overstock the shelves to produce that look of abundance, throw away 30 million pounds of food daily before its “sell by” date. Commercial kitchens in schools, hospitals, and restaurants discard 4% to 10% of what they buy, and diners on average leave 17% of food on their plate. Only 2% of U.S. food waste gets composted—the rest is sent to landfills, running up $1 billion yearly in food waste disposal costs. And while 9.6 million Americans currently experience hunger, saving just 5% of U.S. food waste could feed them. The nearly 1 billion hungry people of the world could be lifted out of malnutrition on less than ¼ the food that’s wasted in the U.S., U.K. and Europe, asserts Tristram Stuart.

Food waste has increased over the years, and the trends in food consumption and production are exacerbating the waste of food and water. As people around the world move up from poverty, they consume more meat, fruits, and vegetables that spoil more quickly and consume more water (40% of global grains, often irrigated, are fed to animals that produce meat and dairy products). Today foods imported from all over the world make the food chain more complex and increase the distance to market, creating more opportunities for wastage. In addition, a globalized food chain means that food waste in industrialized countries has global implications. Excessive consumption and waste in wealthy countries reduces the overall supply of food, takes food off the world market, raises global food prices, and impacts the water resources where the wasted food is produced. For example, much of the U.K.’s wasted food is produced in Egypt, Israel, Pakistan, India, and Thailand, countries that face water scarcity and high water stress.

Reducing food waste at every stage of the food chain would lessen the need for food production, and thus conserve water. Here are some of the solutions proposed by the FAO.

In industrialized countries, food production exceeds demand because farmers overproduce to ensure that they can deliver what they’ve promised. Better cooperation between farmers could help them coordinate and supplement one another’s supply when there’s a shortage. In developing countries where farmers often harvest prematurely because they need money, farmers’ cooperatives could enable them to diversify their products and arrange for credit or loans.

Governments and the private sector should invest in improving storage, infrastructure, and transportation to minimize waste at these stages of the food chain. Tristram Stuart stresses that investing in proven post-harvest technology such as grain stores, fruit crates, refrigeration units and pasteurization, is a much easier, and more cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to increase global food supplies than cutting down rainforests to grow more food.

Photo credit: svenwerk

Retailers, particularly in wealthy countries, put too much emphasis on the superficial beauty and perfection of products which results in perfectly good food being discarded if it doesn’t look “right.” Supermarkets should heed surveys that show that consumers will buy “heterogeneous” produce if the taste is unaffected and offer the public a broader range of products. And instead of throwing out so much food, supermarkets should sell food approaching its “sell by” date at reduced prices or donate it to charity for a tax deduction.

All of us need to understand the implications of our diets, and the connection between our food and the global water picture. There are smart choices we can make that will help reduce food waste. If possible, compost leftovers instead of throwing them out. Make meal plans and shop only for what you are going to use. If cooking a large quantity of food, divide it into individual portions and freeze them. Eat smaller servings, and use leftovers creatively.

Finally, because there is relatively little specific information about food waste, much more research needs to be done to better understand global food chain losses if we hope to be able to meet the food needs of the growing global population.

Columbia Water Center demonstrates research-based solutions to global freshwater scarcity and climate-related water risks.  Follow Columbia Water Center on Facebook and Twitter

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John Small Fridge
12 years ago

This is a topic that really we need to be ashamed off. Our lack of respect for food because it is something we take for granted is pretty awful when people elsewhere in the world are dying for lack of it. I watched a programme where people have a great cost free diet eating food discarded by restaurants. As well, supermarkets discarding food like bread because it is past the “use by date”. I think it goes further than this in that western countries don’t use quite a large proporton of what we harvest, both plant and animal. Economists talk about the paradox of value: Diamonds are so valuable but useless for life, water has a relatively low value but is vital for life.

Mark
12 years ago

It is amazing to me that 98% of food waste ends up in land fills. But it shouldn’t. I live in the USA. Our wastefulness is sinful if not downright criminal. Yes, there are those who have no clue and simply muddle through life with no idea of the consequences of their actions and habits. What’s far worse, are all those people who know that their activities are doing immeasurable damage to the planet but are too slothful to care or feel any measure of guilt about it. And of course corporate America is the worst. Somehow, CEO’s of corporations feel that they are somehow exempt from the rules of society because they are making decisions that improve the bottom line. The country is going down the crapper very quickly. If we don’t wake up and make much better use of our resources, we’ll all be deep trouble very soon.

Caroline
12 years ago

The amount of food wasted by the west is utterly appalling, and there should be some way to curb it. Considering the fact that over 1 billion people around the world are living in poverty, how is this allowed to happen?
Our resources are limited and the waste of them is hastening our demise. I honestly don’t know what the solution is in this scenario. As Mark says about, most of it is due to lazyness, and lack of caring, which is all part of human nature. And this can’t be changed…

Janet
Janet
12 years ago

Unbelievable, the contents of that dumpster would likely feed a family for a month. I had no idea that the United Kingdom discards 8.3 million metric tons of food and drink every year. Here in Wales a recycling program has been undertaken whereby all food and organic matter is placed in bio-degradeable bags and seperated from the main trash for recycling. That’s a step in the right direction at least.

David
12 years ago

In reply to Janet’s comment. Here in the South East UK the council is making everyone use slop buckets, which is then sent to a Bio plant for recycling. Great idea to cut down on food waste.

Maria
12 years ago

Well written, Renee.

When we first got a composter for our household of 3, I was surprised at how much organic waste we had been throwing out with the garbage. Now that we are composting regularly, I am surprised at how much food gets wasted.

Watering our vegetables in EarthBoxes this summer has made me realize how much water is needed. I just bought a rain barrel and will use that water for the veggies. It’s such a no brainer but it’s kind of mind boggling how casually oblivious we are as a culture right now…I was raised on the “eat everything on your plate…people are starving” mindset but somewhere between the 50-s & 60′s and now, it got lost in the shuffle…

Andrei
Andrei
12 years ago

This is really bothering. I believe we should really do something regarding this. Many countries have food related problems and people are really dying from the lack of it.

Unbelievable how much is wasted. Maybe we should set up a petition and do something about it.

Wen
Wen
12 years ago

I’ve been working in the grocery chain industry for many years. It is really horrible the amount of food we do throw away and waste.

and it increases more and more. With the amount of food we throw away we could have feed a whole school of starving children.

Dave
Dave
12 years ago

Check out this successful grassroots initiative run in Israel: http://leket.org.il/english/

trackback
12 years ago

[…] or wheat. we are under the false impression that food is as our disposal. according to the Columbia Water Center, “The average American family of four discards 112 lbs. of food each month,” and when […]

Hannah
Hannah
12 years ago

This is a topic that we really should be ashamed of. It’s sad. At school we see kids WASTE FOOD.
1. I take a shower EVERY DAY.
2. I see kids WASTE FOOD.
3. Eat everything on your plate. People are starving.
4. Don’t take too much.

trackback
12 years ago

[…] food waste because food waste is water waste. About 30 percent of the food produced worldwide is lost or wasted each […]

trackback
12 years ago

[…] According to Global Food Losses and Food Waste, a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, one third of the food produced around the world goes to waste. Curbing this waste is one solution to the global food and water crisis. Read more at: blogs.ei.colombia.edu […]

Rob Mills
Rob Mills
11 years ago

It also incredible how much food the supermarkets waste. And the majority of the time the food is perfectly good for human consumption. It not only wastes the food, but everything that has gone into making it – the heat, fertilizers, water, transport. We really need to be more firm on this.

Jackie Microwave Ovens
Jackie Microwave Ovens
11 years ago

The economists call it the “Paradox of Value”. It is not as obvious to day as it was say 20 years ago but it relates to something that is vital to life and something with no impact on life and their relative values. For example, water and diamonds – water is vital to our existence diamonds are not, yet water is relatively cheap compared to diamonds.

trackback
11 years ago

[…] Romney, or their respective surrogates, talking about America’s food waste dilemma (or what I and others would describe as a crisis) in the months ahead.  That’s too bad since food waste is creating […]

trackback
11 years ago

[…] links to another interesting article from blog by Columbia University’s Earth Institute, “Wasting Food = Wasting […]

trackback
11 years ago

[…] or their respective surrogates, talking about America’s food waste dilemma (or what I and others would describe as a crisis) in the months ahead.  That’s too bad since food waste is creating […]

trackback
11 years ago

[…] or their respective surrogates, talking about America’s food waste dilemma (or what I and others would describe as a crisis) in the months ahead.  That’s too bad since food waste is creating […]

nijender kumar
nijender kumar
11 years ago

it is shameful to this world.

trackback
11 years ago

[…] or their respective surrogates, talking about America’s food waste dilemma (or what I and others would describe as a crisis) in the months ahead.  That’s too bad since food waste is creating […]

trackback
11 years ago

[…] Wasting Food = Wasting Water – Water Matters – State of the Planet. […]

trackback
11 years ago

[…] or their respective surrogates, talking about America’s food waste dilemma (or what I and others would describe as a crisis) in the months ahead.  That’s too bad since food waste is creating […]

trackback
11 years ago

[…] to our plates uses 10 percent of the U.S. energy budget, 50 percent of the nation’s land, and 80 percent of all the freshwater consumed in the U.S.  Yet, 40 percent of this food is discarded (a whopping 20 pounds plus per […]

Apoorva Verma
5 years ago

The production of food exceeds the demand by 20%, still, every 9th person in the world is hungry, according to the World Health Organization. So, instead of just focusing on the production, we need to make sure that the produced food is available for consumption and not getting spoiled.

Walter
1 year ago

we sometimes wast a lot of food and this made me feel sad and we are trying not to wast any more