Reducing Food Loss and Waste

The document analyzes the impact of food loss and waste, noting that approximately 24 percent of calories produced for human consumption are lost or wasted. It argues that halving this rate by 2050 could significantly reduce the global food gap, saving an estimated 1,314 trillion kilocalories per year. The paper highlights that these inefficiencies lead to reduced farmer incomes, increased consumer costs, and environmental damage, including greenhouse gas emissions and inefficient land and water use.

• Approximately 24 percent of all calories produced for human consumption are lost or wasted, meaning one in four food calories intended for people is not consumed.
• Food loss and waste result in economic losses for farmers and consumers, as well as environmental degradation through greenhouse gas emissions and the inefficient use of land and water.
• Reducing the current rate of food loss and waste from 24 percent to 12 percent by 2050 would save approximately 1,314 trillion kilocalories (kcal) per year, which represents about 22 percent of the projected gap between current food availability and 2050 requirements.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Reducing Food Loss and Waste. https://www.wri.org/research/reducing-food-loss-and-waste

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Reducing Food Loss and Waste. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/reducing-food-loss-and-waste.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Reducing Food Loss and Waste |url=https://www.wri.org/research/reducing-food-loss-and-waste |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendreducing, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Reducing Food Loss and Waste}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/reducing-food-loss-and-waste}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }