UNEP report sounds the alarm on Africa’s growing food waste crisis

• As millions of people in Africa go to bed hungry today, tonnes of food will end up in landfills, too.
• A UN report identifies gaps in Africa’s retail and food service sectors, presenting a significant hurdle in fully understanding the scope of food wastage.
• The UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 identifies critical areas where action is needed to address the challenge in Africa.

An estimated one billion meals go to waste every day in Africa and across the world, the UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 reveals. The report, which shows food waste continues to hurt the global economy, adds that 783 million people were affected by hunger. In contrast, a third of the worldwide population suffered food insecurity in 2022.

“Food waste is a global tragedy. Millions will go hungry today as food is wasted worldwide,” said Inger Andersen, UNEP Executive Director. “Not only is this a major development issue, but the impacts of such unnecessary waste are causing substantial costs to the climate and nature. The good news is that if countries prioritise this issue, they can significantly reverse food loss and waste, reduce climate impacts and economic losses, and accelerate progress on global goals.”

In the year under review, the report co-authored by UK-based NGO WRAP says that 1.05 billion tonnes of wasted food were generated, amounting to 132 kilos per capita and almost one-fifth of the food available to consumers.

UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 report adds that out of the total waste from food recorded in 2022, 60 per cent occurred at the household level, while food services outlets accounted for 28 per cent, even as retail chains were responsible for 12 per cent of food wastage. The toll of food loss and waste on the global economy is roughly USD 1 trillion.

Food waste in Africa

Whereas the report provides a detailed examination of food waste on a global scale, it seeks to offer some specific insights into the situation in Africa. Its findings highlight the challenges and the critical areas where action is needed to address this growing challenge across the continent of 1.2 billion people who face varying levels of food insecurity.

For instance, the report points out a significant increase in data availability regarding household food waste, with Africa being a key focus. This enhanced data coverage has improved understanding of food wastage within households across different regions of the continent.

For the African region, 52 data points are from 17 countries. For Sub-Saharan Africa, 44 data points were identified from 14 countries, 41 of which are household estimates. Seven household food waste estimates were identified in Kenya and five in South Africa, the report notes in part.

“A wide range of estimates exist for household food waste in Africa, with seven of the estimates for household food waste in the region being among the highest identified globally (top 10 per cent of data points).

The UN-Habitat Waste Wise Cities Tool (WaCT) survey in Iramba District, Tanzania (UN-Habitat 2023a) is the highest reported household food waste figure in the dataset at 245 kilograms per capita per year.”

Interestingly, the report underscores that household per capita generation of wasted food is broadly similar across different country income groups, indicating that this crisis is a pervasive issue that affects countries at various economic levels, including those in Africa.

For instance, in a survey of 300 households in Egypt, the per capita waste generation rates were found to range between 0.63 and 0.82 kg/day, and the waste was composed mostly of food (41–70 per cent collected waste from Gharbiya, Asyout, Kafr El-Sheikh, and Qena areas, which are geographically distributed.

This survey in Egypt sought to understand the waste generation rates and composition in correlation with critical socioeconomic features such as household income, family size, and electricity consumption.

Moreover, the UNEP’s report also highlights the urban dimension of the swelling crisis, noting that with over half of the world’s population now living in urban areas, local governments in Africa and elsewhere are addressing this dilemma as increasingly critical.

The report suggests that food wastage tends to be lower in rural areas, possibly due to more circular food systems that include practices like feeding scraps to animals and composting for manure. This highlights the need to promote such circularity in urban settings as well.

“Although a large number of data points are available for Kenya, there is less available evidence in rural areas,” the authors note.

Read also: The simmering story of US food aid to Tanzania targeting 300 schools.

Role of local governments

The UNEP report calls for enhanced engagement and prioritisations by local governments in collaboration with national authorities to tackle the problem. This involves enacting policies and maintaining efforts to divert food from landfills to more productive uses. This measure is especially relevant for African cities, towns, and municipalities seeking to manage the crisis effectively.

“Food waste is an urban issue. With more than half of the global population now living in urban areas, the role of local governments in tackling food waste is expected to only increase in the coming years,” the authors explain.

Moreover, despite notable improvements in data collection, the report identifies significant gaps, particularly in Africa’s retail and food service sectors. This lack of comprehensive data presents a significant hurdle to fully understanding and addressing the scope of food waste on the continent.

The report suggests that filing these data gaps is crucial for a complete global understanding of food waste and for tailoring interventions to reduce it effectively in Africa.

According to empirical data, food loss and waste account for between 8 and 10 per cent of annual global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions – nearly five times that of the aviation sector – and significant biodiversity loss by taking up the equivalent of almost a third of the world’s agricultural land. The toll of food loss and waste on the global economy is roughly $1 trillion.

UNEP maintains tracking country-level progress to halve food waste by 2030, with a growing focus on solutions beyond measurement towards reduction. One such solution is systemic action through public-private partnerships (PPPs), which bring the public, private, and non-government to work together, identify bottlenecks, co-develop solutions, and drive progress.