{"id":2175,"date":"2025-02-19T12:20:41","date_gmt":"2025-02-19T12:20:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foodwastereport.leket.org\/developments-in-food-rescue-in-israel-and-around-world\/"},"modified":"2025-12-01T10:25:16","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T10:25:16","slug":"international-comparison-policies-to-reduce-food-loss-eng","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/foodwastereport.leket.org\/en\/international-comparison-policies-to-reduce-food-loss-eng\/","title":{"rendered":"Policy Recommendations for Reducing Food Waste and Promoting Food Rescue"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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UN Report 2021:\nConsumer Food Waste is Significantly Higher than Previous Estimates<\/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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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe UN Food Waste Index cites findings from the Food Waste and Rescue in Israel Report by Leket Israel, the Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection, and BDO. \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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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Food Waste Index Report states that they had underestimated the extent of global food waste during the consumption stage (residential and institutional) (72). Ten years before, they estimated that globally 1.3b tons of food were wasted per year; about a third of all the food produced in the world. According to the more recent report, the first update in a decade, about 1.7b tons of food are wasted per year during the consumption phase; 30% more than the previous estimate.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The Case for Food Rescue<\/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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Over the past decade, Leket Israel\u2019s National Food Waste and Rescue Reports have consistently highlighted the strong economic, health, social, and environmental benefits of food rescue. International policy reviews and best practices for reducing food waste, alongside growing recognition of the health benefits of providing nutritious, rescued food, underscore the need to treat food rescue as a key national policy tool.<\/p>

Economically:<\/strong> Food rescue illustrates a clear case of market failure. At current market prices, rescuing surplus food may not seem financially viable for producers or distributors. However, when its full economic value is considered, including the nutritional benefits it provides and the opportunity cost of letting edible food go to waste, food rescue emerges as a highly cost-effective solution for the broader economy.<\/p>

Socially:<\/strong> Donating rescued food to those in need helps reduce inequality and improve food security among the country\u2019s most vulnerable populations.<\/p>

Healthwise:<\/strong> Providing healthy, rescued food to individuals facing food insecurity who may otherwise lack access to adequate nutrition directly improves health outcomes and leads to long-term savings in healthcare costs.<\/p>

Environmentally:<\/strong> Food rescue conserves critical resources such as energy, water, land, and chemicals, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and the volume of waste sent to landfill.<\/p>

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Rescuing nutritious food and supplying it to food-insecure populations who rarely purchase or consume healthy food can improve their overall nutrition and health while reducing national healthcare expenses.<\/p>

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The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations defines food waste as: \u201cthe decrease in the quantity or quality of food resulting from decisions and actions by retailers, food service providers, and consumers.\u201d<\/p>

The UN Food Waste Index cites findings from the Food Waste and Rescue in Israel Report by Leket Israel, the Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection, and BDO.<\/p>

The United Nations set a Sustainable Development Goal of reducing global food waste per capita by 50% by 2030. Toward this end, they developed the Food Waste Index (73). This complements the FAO\u2019s Food Waste Index, which primarily addresses food waste in the agriculture, sorting, packaging, and industrial processing stages.<\/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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1. The National Plan to Reduce Food Loss and Waste<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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In September 2025, the Ministry of Environmental Protection, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and guided by an inter-ministerial committee, released a National Plan to Reduce Food Loss and Waste. This marks the first time that the State of Israel has adopted a comprehensive, system-wide approach to addressing food loss and waste in the country. The plan expands upon and formalizes the food waste section of the National Food Security Program, which also included working groups focused on local agriculture, the food industry, trade and international cooperation, research and innovation, and food baskets and consumption habits. The plan defines 16 action channels, organized under five strategic initiatives.<\/p>

Three of these channels focus on prevention and reduction of food waste by:<\/p>