About one-third of all food produced for people (around 1.3 billion tons) is lost or wasted each year, even while there are millions of people who do not have enough to eat. Food waste also wastes important resources such as water, land, energy, and labor, making it both and environmental issue and an economic issue. In total, about $1 trillion worth of food is wasted annually, which shows how large the problem has become. Food waste also contributes to climate change. When food is thrown away, it rots in landfills and produces greenhouse gases. The greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. Reducing food waste can help make better use of existing food.

This highlights how preventable food waste is and how much of an impact it has on both the environment and global food systems. While reducing food waste is an important step, it requires changes at both at the individual and industry level to be effective.

https://wfpusa.org/news/how-food-waste-affects-world-hunger/