Infographic shows full extent of food waste

By Laurence Gibbons

- Last updated on GMT

1.3bnt of food is wasted per year
1.3bnt of food is wasted per year

Related tags Food waste Carbon dioxide

The full extent of food waste has been highlighted in a new infographic by design agency Neomammalian Studios.

The Manchester-based firm claimed that 1.3bnt of food is wasted globally per year, with the annual cost, not including fish and seafood, being £750bn.

The infographic (see below) also highlighted that 20–40% of all crops are discarded by farmers because they didn’t meet retailers’ standards.

Meanwhile, Tesco estimated 68% of salad is wasted globally. Tesco revealed that 35% of that waste occurred at home, when it was the first retailer to publish food waste figures​, in October.

The retailer blamed food waste of fussy British shoppers.

Tesco, Sainsbury, Waitrose and Asda have all claimed to commit to ending buy-one-get-one-free promotions to help eliminate waste.

It also highlighted that, despite this waste, 870M people are undernourished globally. 

See the infographic below to see exactly how much food is wasted in the UK, how it’s being wasted and what needs to be done to reduce it.

Article continues below


The Cost Of Food Waste

Meanwhile, earlier this year, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) claimed food and drink manufacturers were meeting waste reduction targets.

FDF members were on track to help reduce ingredients, product and packaging waste in the grocery supply chain by 3% by 2015 from a 2012 baseline, the FDF’s environment policy manager David Bellamy said.

This goal is part of the FDF’s Five-Fold Ambition to contribute to the Waste & Resources Action Programme’s (WRAP) Courtauld Commitment Phase 3.

The impact of Courtauld Commitment Phase 3 is predicted to be a cumulative reduction of 1.1Mt of waste, 2.9Mt of carbon dioxide and a cost benefit of £1.6bn to consumers, the food and drink sector and local authorities.

During the three phases of the Courtauld Commitment, a 20% reduction in household food waste could be achieved, WRAP claimed.

See the source of the infographic here.​  

Related news

Show more

Related products

Carbon Reduction for Large Energy Users

Carbon Reduction for Large Energy Users

Content provided by ESB Energy | 12-Nov-2021 | Product Brochure

ESB Energy Business Solutions can help you meet your companies carbon targets by 2050. We offer a range of sustainable tailored solutions to reduce the...