NAIROBI / RankWire.AI / – The United Nations Environment Programme reports that worldwide food loss and waste impose a financial burden exceeding $1 trillion each year. Each day, households alone discard over one billion meals. This concern gained renewed attention on September 29, during the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. UNEP emphasizes that reducing waste can help preserve land, water, and forests, as well as lower emissions associated with uneaten food.
The problem spans entire food supply chains and consumer markets. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, 13.4% of globally produced food is lost after harvest and before reaching retail. Additionally, households, food service providers, and retailers waste another 19% of available food. UNEP’s 2024 Food Waste Index estimates that in 2022, 1.05 billion tonnes of food was wasted at the consumer level, with households contributing 60% of this waste.
Food loss and waste are responsible for approximately 8% to 10% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. Specifically, food waste accounts for up to 14% of global methane emissions. Michael Muratha, a program manager at UNEP, highlights practical measures such as improved handling, storage, transportation, and cold-chain management to curb losses. He also advocates for redistributing safe surplus food as a strategy to keep edible products in use.
Efforts to curb waste across the food industry
Technology is increasingly employed to quantify waste in commercial kitchens. A project in the UAE involving Hilton, Winnow, UNEP West Asia, and the Ne’ma initiative tracked breakfast waste across 13 hotels. Utilizing AI tools and plate-waste systems, the project identified instances of overproduction and discarded food. According to Winnow’s data, this initiative resulted in a 62% overall decrease in breakfast food waste over four months, not just a reduction in post-consumer waste.
The project achieved a 76% reduction in pre-consumer waste and a 55% decrease in post-consumer waste. By analyzing data from the tracking systems, teams optimized food production, buffet presentation, portion sizes, and staff practices. These results serve as a documented example of how technology can facilitate food-waste measurement and operational adjustments. UNEP also promotes lower-tech solutions, such as community programs that make use of ingredients typically discarded during food preparation.
Global initiatives aim for 2030 targets
At COP30 in Belém, Brazil, in November 2025, UNEP and its partners launched the Food Waste Breakthrough. This initiative aspires to cut global food waste by half by 2030 and aims to reduce methane emissions linked to food waste by up to 7%. During the launch, the Global Environment Facility pledged $3 million to support these efforts. It is important to note that the event took place at COP30, correcting prior references that mistakenly placed the initiative at COP31 in Brazil.
This 2030 target supports Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, which seeks to halve per-capita food waste at retail and consumer levels. It also emphasizes reducing food losses throughout production and supply chains. In September 2026, FAO reported that progress toward these goals has been limited in recent years. Current UN data show that food losses and waste continue to consume significant resources, while imposing substantial economic and environmental costs.