The third International Day of Awareness on Food Waste and Loss, which is celebrated today 29 September, is perhaps more felt than in other years.
The high cost of living unleashed by the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine pushes citizens to adopt responsible behavior to save family budgets, even if the problem remains relevant all over the world.
The FAO calculates that globally about 14% of food is lost when it is collected and before it reaches stores, while a further 17% ends up being wasted by retailers and consumers, of which 11% in households, 5 % in the restaurant service and 2% in sales.
Yet there are approximately 3.1 billion people worldwide who lack access to a healthy diet and an estimated 828 million who continue to go hungry.
A loss of food that represents 8-10% of the total global greenhouse gases, contributing to an unstable climate and extreme weather events such as droughts and floods that negatively impact crops, reduce the nutritional quality of crops, cause disruption supply chain and threaten food security.
It is no coincidence that the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development plans to halve global food waste per capita along the entire supply chain.
For the FAO, therefore, cutting waste is a triple opportunity for victory, for food security, for sustainability and for the planet, inviting everyone to act.
In the list of the most wasted products in the world there is fruit, recalls the Waste Watcher International Observatory which monitored the trend of 9 countries around the world.
Each Italian, in particular, throws 30.3 grams per week, followed by the salad with an average of 26.4 grams and fresh bread with 22.8 grams.
The ranking also includes milk and yogurt (38.1 grams per week in the US and 27.1 grams in Germany), cold cuts and salami (21.6 grams in France, 14.2 grams in Japan), rice and cereals (in Brazil 27 , 2 gr) and ready meals (in Japan on average 11.5 gr).
8 grams.
The ranking also includes milk and yogurt (38.1 grams per week in the US and 27.1 grams in Germany), cold cuts and salami (21.6 grams in France, 14.2 grams in Japan), rice and cereals (in Brazil 27 , 2 gr) and ready meals (in Japan on average 11.5 gr).
8 grams.
The ranking also includes milk and yogurt (38.1 grams per week in the US and 27.1 grams in Germany), cold cuts and salami (21.6 grams in France, 14.2 grams in Japan), rice and cereals (in Brazil 27 , 2 gr) and ready meals (in Japan on average 11.5 gr).
However, awareness among the population to stem this phenomenon is growing.
According to Coldiretti on the basis of Coop data that analyzed the behavior of Italians in the next 6-12 months, 35% of the population will cut waste by adopting food-saving solutions at home and recover what is left at the table.
Today, on average, 67 kg of food per inhabitant are thrown into homes every year, more responsible than the French who waste 85 kg and the Germans 75 kg.
A growing sensitivity demonstrated by various initiatives, such as that of Assica, for Italian cured meats to play their part in the fight against food waste.
Recovery as a value and surpluses as a resource are the two pillars of the industrial association's strategy developed together with the non-profit Banco Alimentare Foundation;
