By Alessandra Suuberg, Decency LLC
Today’s (March 27, 2024) headlines highlighted a United Nations report that suggests more than 1 billion meals are wasted daily around the world, “while nearly 800 million people go hungry.”
These stories are not the only ones to show wide global disparities in access to food—where different factors can leave 1.05 billion metric tons of food wasted in a year and a third of the world’s population food insecure.
Here are some of the stories making headlines in recent months:
The UN Food Waste Index Report 2024
ABC News reported on March 27 that “households are discarding an exorbitant amount of food every year,” citing statistics from the UNEP’s (UN Environment Programme’s) Food Waste Index Report.
The amount of waste is reportedly worth over $1 trillion, accounting for 19% of food available at the retail, food service, and household levels.
ABC News provided a link to the UNEP report, stating that it “recommends . . . efforts to . . . enhance food waste reduction programs.”
Food Waste Reduction Efforts
At the end of 2023, Reuters reported on efforts in the United Kingdom to address “food poverty” and “help cut . . . millions of tonnes of discarded food.”
According to Reuters, King Charles launched the Coronation Food Project in November, in the context of “14 million people in Britain fac[ing] food insecurity.”
UK publication The Big Issue reported that more than 8,500 organizations were relying on surplus food, and that the Coronation Food Project would (1) help save surplus food supplies, (2) “supercharge” distribution networks, and (3) provide grants and funding to help reduce waste.
Hunger and the War in Gaza
In March of 2024, NPR reported “catastrophic” levels of hunger amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
At the beginning of the month, AP News reported that deaths were occurring in Gaza due to malnutrition and dehydration.
AP News reported that various countries had undertaken airdrops to help provide aid, and that supplies of fresh food had “dwindled” in Rafah, home to over 1 million people including displaced residents.
Disclaimer: The information and opinions on this site do not include legal advice or the advice of a licensed healthcare provider.