In Italy, food waste is worth 15 billion euros per year, approximately one point of GDP (without considering the ecological costs): in Italian homes, around 6 billion euros worth of food is thrown into the dustbin every year, to which 9 billion euros of waste must be added dia.
Yet in our country the number of people who struggle to feed themselves regularly is growing, and over 9.4% of the population is in poverty.
The WWF writes this in a statement on the occasion of the National Day for the Prevention of Food Waste.
According to the WWF, every Italian throws 300 euros into the garbage every year.
There are 140 billion liters of water in this food.
In Italy, according to data from the Waste Watcher Observatory, despite greater attention to food waste, we individually throw away just under half a kilo of food each week, around 25 kg in a year, including fresh fruit and vegetables, milk, yoghurt, bread .
If food waste were a country, it would be the third largest producer of climate-altering gases, after the USA and China.
Food waste is responsible for 20% of freshwater and fertilizer consumption and 30% of global agricultural land use.
The economic value of wasted food globally is around $1 trillion per year, but rises to around $2.6 trillion when you consider some of the hidden costs related to water and environmental impacts.
In high-income countries, losses occur mainly at the post-sale and consumer level, and vary between 124 and 154 kg per capita per year.
The economic cost is estimated at 10-25% of families' annual food expenditure.
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