The size of the problem

One third of food produced in the world goes to landfill creating a toxic soup

About 1/3 of food produced in the world is either lost or wasted. In Malaysia 4000 tonnes of edible food is thrown away each day. This is enough to feed 10 million people every day. No-one in Malaysia should suffer from hunger.

TLFP currently rescues an average of 50 tonnes of food per week from going to landfill. This means that we are able to save just 1% of the food being thrown away. We have a plan to rescue much more but we need everyone to play their part in being aware of the problem and understanding the solution.

THE PROBLEM
WE ARE
TACKLING

Globally, one in nine people in the world today (more than 820 million) are undernourished
The majority of the world’s hungry people live in developing countries, where 12.9 percent of the population is undernourished.
Asia is the continent with the hungriest people – two thirds of the total. The percentage in southern Asia has fallen in recent years but in western Asia it has increased slightly.
In Malaysia, 99.7% of children in low cost flats (PPR) live in relative poverty, whilst 7% live in absolute poverty.
Poor nutrition causes nearly half (45 per cent) of deaths in children under five – 3.1 million children each year.
One in four of the world’s children suffer stunted growth. In developing countries, the proportion can rise to one in three.
66 million primary school-age children attend classes hungry across the developing world.

Statistics from www.fao.org

The problem with food waste

Food loss and food waste represents a highly inefficient use of resources globally. Approximately 30% of food produced for human consumption around the world is either lost or wasted every year. This is equivalent to 1.3 billion tons of food and is more than enough to feed the world’s hungry four times over.

For this amount of food to be produced, this puts enormous pressure on the earth’s precious natural resources including land and water use; and food production requires great amounts of energy – leading to greenhouse gas emissions that are drastically changing the world we lived in.

Image supplied in kind by Getty Images

Enough food is produced to feed the world's hungry four times over. No one should go hungry.

Food production is responsible for 25% of global greenhouse gases and 75% of annual deforestation.

In Malaysia, the government has pledged to achieve 45% carbon dioxide reduction by 2030.

TLFP currently prevents a weekly average of 19 tonnes of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere by diverting food waste. It also saves the government waste disposal costs.

A global solution

The UN Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate, environmental degradation, prosperity, and peace and justice. The Goals interconnect and in order to leave no one behind, it ís important that we achieve each Goal and target by 2030.

The Lost Food Project is supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 2 “Zero Hunger” and Goal 12 which aims to “ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns” includes amongst its objectives to “halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer level, and reduce food losses along production and supply chains by 2030”.

The 17 Goals are all interconnected, and in order to leave no one behind, it is important that globally we achieve them by 2030. Click below to learn more about the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

With more than a third of the world’s food squandered, food loss is having a devastating affect on the world’s environment. This FAO video will change how you make decisions about food. Credit: http://www.fao.org/food-loss-and-food-waste/en/