Data & Resources

The Food Waste Index Report 2024 builds upon its predecessor in three key ways: Firstly, it incorporates vastly expanded data points from around the world, providing a significantly more robust global and national estimates, detailed in Chapter 2 of the main report. Secondly, it expands on the SDG 12.3 food waste measurement methodology introduced in the 2021 report, offering enhanced guidance on measurement across retail, food service, and household sectors. This additional guidance delves into various methodologies, their strengths and limitations, and strategies for prioritising sub-sectors for measurement, as explored in Chapter 3. Lastly, the report transitions from focusing solely on food waste measurement to exploring solutions for food waste reduction. The chapter examines effective approaches to reducing food waste globally, with a spotlight on public-private partnerships in this 2024 report.

The fact that substantial amounts of food are produced but not eaten by humans has substantial negative impacts: environmentally, socially and economically. Estimates suggest that 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions are associated with food that is not consumed.
The global food system is driving the triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste while failing to address rising levels of hunger and malnutrition. To feed the world’s growing population and meet global environmental and sustainability goals, the world’s food systems must be transformed.

This report showcases how green and digital technologies can be used to reduce consumer food waste, including five city case studies: Kampala, Bangkok, Belgrade, Bogota, and Doha.

Published in September 2022, this guide helps key actors at different states of the food system focus on how they can help consumers reduce food waste through behaviour change.

published in 2021, sets out a comprehensive view of the current situation across the region, in which around 34 per cent of the food served is wasted, with an estimation ranging from 100 to 150kg/cap of food waste occurring at the household stage.

This assessment shows that human-caused methane emissions can be reduced by up to 45 per cent this decade, and identifies three behavioural changes, reducing food waste and loss, improving livestock management, and the adoption of healthy diets that could reduce methane emissions by 65–80 Mt per year over the next few decades.

This report includes case studies to show the current state and development across areas such as technologies, design approaches, finance and business models, policy, and planning.

Grandma and girl
Ending food waste starts with you

Public and private entities as well as consumers from across the food systems, must work to cut food loss and waste to enhance the use of natural resources, mitigate climate change and support food security and proper nutrition for all. The International Food Loss and Waste: Get Involved guide offers key messages, facts and figures, and actions that stakeholders can take to help reduce food loss and waste.

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