Mounting Nutritional and Environmental Pressures of the Global Food Loss and Waste Call for Urgent Policy Action

Abstract Food losses and waste (FLW) are at the core of secure and sustainable food systems. A consistent quantification of the FLW across food supply chains at the global level, however, remains a major challenge. In this study, we compile a comprehensive database that assesses FLW across global value chains and quantifies the nutritional and environmental impact of lost and discarded food for 121 countries and 20 composite regions using a multi-region input-output framework. Our findings reveal a substantial increase in FLW across global regions between 2004 and 2014, with plant-based FLW being primarily concentrated in regions with poor recycling facilities. Nutritional losses have principally increased in low-income countries, with the global south accounting for over 70% of global land use, 82% of water use, and 76% of greenhouse-gas emissions embedded in FLW. Policies should focus on reducing domestic waste at the final consumption stage in high-income regions and on decreasing large farm-level losses in middle- and low-income countries. Here, while promoting the profitable reuse of unavoidable FLW, policies should increase agricultural production efficiency to enhance water and nutritional security.