{"id":1859,"date":"2025-02-19T12:20:40","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T12:20:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foodwastereport.leket.org\/food-rescue-integrating-economic-environmental-social-contributions\/"},"modified":"2025-12-01T13:10:27","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T13:10:27","slug":"rescuing-food-economic-social-health-and-environmental-benefits","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/foodwastereport.leket.org\/en\/rescuing-food-economic-social-health-and-environmental-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Food Loss and Waste and Strategies for Reduction"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Key findings from the 2024 UN Report: <\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Consumer Food Waste is Higher than Previously Estimated and Continues to Rise<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The UN Global Food Waste Index cites findings from the Food Waste and Rescue Report in Israel prepared by Leket Israel, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and BDO<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Food Loss and Waste Worldwide<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u00a0<\/p>

The FAO defines food loss<\/em> as the decrease in the quantity or nutritional value of parts of edible food intended for consumption by humans that occurs along the production and supply chain, before it reaches consumers. Food waste<\/em> refers to food discarded at the consumption stage, i.e. in households, dining establishments, and institutions.<\/p>

In 2011, the FAO published its first global report on food loss and waste, estimating that approximately 1.3b tons of food\u2014about one-third of all food produced for human consumption\u2014are lost or wasted each year worldwide. A decade later, in 2021, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) updated these figures in its Global Food Waste Index Report, raising the estimate to 1.7b tons annually. For the first time, the report provided a separate estimate for food waste at the consumption stage (households and institutions), which totaled around 931m tons per year. The most recent UN report, published in 2024, increased this figure to 1.05b tons, offering further detail: roughly 60% of food waste at the consumption stage occurs in households, 28% in food services, and 12% in retail.<\/p>

These findings highlight that food waste at the consumption stage affects all countries, across all income levels.<\/p>

Subheading: The UN Global Food Waste Index cites findings from the Food Waste and Rescue Report<\/em> in Israel <\/em>prepared by Leket Israel, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and BDO<\/strong><\/p>

The UN Global Food Waste Index[1]<\/a> was developed to support progress toward the UN\u2019s sustainable development goal[2]<\/a> of reducing global per-capita food waste by 50% by 2030. It complements the Food Loss Index published by the FAO, which focuses on losses occurring during agricultural production, sorting, packaging, and industrial processing.<\/p>

The latest UN report notes that the extent of global food waste has long been unclear, as previous estimates were based on limited and often outdated data from a small number of countries. The updated report now presents a comprehensive and current global overview, drawing on broader and more reliable data covering food waste across retail, institutional, and household consumption. It also introduces an updated global estimate of food waste rates, offering a clearer picture of the global scope of the problem.<\/p>

The UN report synthesizes findings from 84 studies on food waste across various countries. Of these, 52% were academic studies, 33% were carried out by government institutions, 10% by nonprofit organizations, and 6% by other entities. With regard to Israel, the report cites and relies on the findings of the Food Waste and Rescue Report in Israel<\/em>, prepared by Leket Israel, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, the Ministry of Health, and BDO.<\/strong><\/p>

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[1]<\/a> United Nations Environment Programme (2021). Food Waste Index Report 2021. Nairobi<\/p>

[2]<\/a> SDG 12.3 https:\/\/www.fao.org\/sustainable-development-goals\/indicators\/1231\/en<\/a><\/p>

[3]<\/a> Household Food Waste Study, conducted by Prof. Ophira Ayalon and Dr. Efrat Elimelech (University of Haifa), and Dr. Eyal Art (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), on behalf of the Chief Scientist\u2019s Office at the Ministry of Agriculture, under the management of the Volcani Institute.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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As shown in the graph above, the UN report finds that per-capita food waste at the consumption stage in Israel is comparable to levels in the United States, lower than in Africa, but higher than in Europe. The report does not offer an explanation for these variations.<\/p>

A study on household food waste in Israel,[3]<\/a> conducted by Prof. Ophira Ayalon, Dr. Efrat Elimelech, and Dr. Eyal Art, found that when households separate their waste at the source, less food tends to be wasted. In Israel, unlike in most European countries, waste separation at source has not yet been implemented, which may help explain the high level of food waste at the consumption stage.<\/p>

The UN recognizes food waste reduction as a key component of sustainable development and a crucial strategy for addressing global food insecurity. In its latest report, the UN notes that global estimates of food waste are unreliable and calls on countries to measure and monitor food waste domestically, develop coherent national policies, and pursue untapped opportunities to address the challenge. This is aligned with Israel\u2019s ongoing efforts. For the past nine years, Leket Israel and BDO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environmental Protection (for the past five years) and the Ministry of Health (for the past two), have published the National Food Waste and Rescue Report<\/strong>. The Report provides an annual estimate of food waste in Israel, together with policy recommendations for its reduction, positioning Israel as a pioneer in this field.<\/p>

In Israel, where household spending on food represents a significant portion of total consumption, and amid ongoing challenges such as the high cost of living and reduced food accessibility during the Iron Swords War, addressing food waste is critical. Moreover, the routine disposal of food with clear economic and nutritional value indicates a market failure that calls for proactive government intervention to ensure more efficient use of this vital resource.<\/p>

In light of these challenges, it is important to examine the leading policy tools adopted worldwide to reduce food waste.<\/p>

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Policy Tools for Reducing Food Waste Worldwide and in Israel In collaboration with the Global Food Donation Policy Atlas<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\u00a0<\/p>

Across the world, governments are adopting a variety of policy tools to address food loss and waste. These measures aim to prevent food surpluses at the source, rescue and redistribute edible surplus food, and encourage sustainable waste management through composting and anaerobic digestion, rather than landfilling.<\/p>

In this context, international initiatives are advancing efforts to gather and share knowledge and strategies to effectively reduce food loss and waste.<\/p>

The FAO and UNEP<\/strong> have developed complementary international indicators that enable consistent measurement of food loss and waste at the national level. These indicators provide a quantitative foundation for comparing countries, supporting data-driven policymaking, and tracking progress and trends in food loss and waste reduction over time.<\/p>

The European Commission, through the EU Food Loss and Waste Prevention Hub (FLWPH), compiles and shares information on policies and legislation adopted by European countries in this field.<\/p>

In June 2023, Israel launched the Food Surplus Donations in Israel: Legal Guide and Policy Recommendations Report<\/strong>, prepared in collaboration with the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic (FLPC),[1]<\/a> the Global Foodbanking Network (GFN),[2]<\/a> the Global Food Donation Policy Atlas,[3]<\/a> the Ministry of Environmental Protection, and Leket Israel.<\/p>

The FLPC and GFN launched the Global Food Donation Policy Atlas in February 2019. The initiative focuses on non-EU countries and aims to advance food donation, rescue, and waste-reduction policies, legislation, and regulations, while removing barriers that hinder these efforts.<\/p>

The Atlas partnership\u2019s work includes:<\/p>

  1. Identifying and publishing food donation and rescue laws in a growing list of countries;<\/li>
  2. Analyzing common legal and regulatory barriers that prevent food recovery and donation;<\/li>
  3. Sharing best practices to help governments and organizations overcome these barriers.<\/li><\/ol>

    Within this framework, the Atlas publishes comprehensive, country-specific reviews covering a wide range of policies and regulations related to food waste and rescue. It also highlights several key policy tools and identifies countries that demonstrate best practices in implementation.<\/p>

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    [1]<\/a> Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic<\/p>

    [2]<\/a> The Global FoodBanking Network<\/p>

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    Best practices identified by the Atlas partnership and the European Commission, Compared with the situation in Israel:<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    1. National Strategy for Food Loss and Waste Reduction<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    Adopting a comprehensive national framework to reduce food loss and waste across the supply chain establishes a clear, coordinated policy aimed at both minimizing food loss and waste and promoting food rescue. Such a strategy may incorporate all the policy tools outlined above, and additional measures as needed.<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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    \u00a0 Australia – National Food Waste Strategy, 2017[1]<\/a><\/b><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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