22 January 2013: In an effort to address the 1.3 billion tons of food waste created each year, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) have launched the Think.Eat.Save. Reduce Your Footprint campaign to cut food waste along the chain of food production and consumption.

The campaign focuses on food waste from consumers, retailers and the hospitality industry, and creates collaboration between a variety of organizations with experience changing wasteful practices. Campaign organizers highlight the large amount of inputs that are necessary to grow and transport food. The global launch took place on 22 January 2013 in Geneva, Switzerland. The campaign will have five initial programmes on: consumer information; sustainable lifestyles and education; sustainable public procurement; sustainable buildings and construction; and sustainable tourism, including ecotourism.

UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner noted the strong links of food waste to the problem of food security, and the possibility of each individual contributing to reducing to food waste. FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva, stressed that the amount of food discarded annually would be enough to feed the 870 million hungry people in the world. Others have pointed to the degradation of land and forests for the generation of food, the high use of freshwater for irrigated agriculture, heavy energy use in agri-food systems and declining stocks of fisheries.

The campaign is in response to the UN Secretary-General’s Zero Hunger Challenge, and was triggered in part by the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), which gave the go-ahead for a Ten-year Framework of Programmes (10YFP) on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns (SCP) meant to inter alia, boost sustainable food production and access to food, while reducing environmental impacts.

According to the launch announcement, studies demonstrate the differences in food waste between developed and developing countries, with 95% of food loss in developing countries coming from financial, managerial and technical limitations, while in developed countries, waste is produced at the end of the supply chain. This is demonstrated by a per capita level of food waste in developed countries of almost 100 kg per year and waste in developing countries under 11 kg per year. The studies also demonstrate the large cost savings that can be created by reducing food waste.

The partners stress early action to be undertaken by the EU, which seeks to halve food waste by 2020 and almost eliminate food waste in landfills by this time. The campaign also provides tips to consumers and retailers to reduce waste and meet food waste pledges. [UNEP Work on Resource Efficiency Programme on Agri-Food] [UNEP Press Release] [FAO Press Release] [Interview with Robert van Otterdijk from SAVEFOOD] [Webcast of Launch of Think.Eat.Save Campaign] [Think.Eat.Save Website]