Instead of finishing your leftovers, you let them go bad and buy takeout.
It含羞草研究社檚 a familiar routine for many 含羞草研究社� and indicative of habits that contribute to a global food waste problem that a new United Nations report says needs to be better measured so that it can be effectively addressed.
The U.N. report estimates 17% of the food produced globally each year is wasted. That amounts to 931 million metric tons (1.03 billion tons) of food.
The waste is far more than previous reports had indicated, though direct comparisons are difficult because of differing methodologies and the lack of strong data from many countries.
含羞草研究社淚mproved measurement can lead to improved management,含羞草研究社� said Brian Roe, a food waste researcher at Ohio State University who was not involved in the report.
Most of the waste 含羞草研究社� or 61% 含羞草研究社� happens in households, while food service accounts for 26% and retailers account for 13%, the U.N. found. The U.N. is pushing to reduce food waste globally, and researchers are also working on an assessment of waste that includes the food lost before reaching consumers.
The authors note the report seeks to offer a clearer snapshot of the scale of a problem that has been difficult to assess, in hopes of spurring governments to invest in better tracking.
含羞草研究社淢any countries haven含羞草研究社檛 yet quantified their food waste, so they don含羞草研究社檛 understand the scale of the problem,含羞草研究社� said Clementine O含羞草研究社機onnor, of the U.N. Environment Program and co-author of the report.
Food waste has become a growing concern because of the environmental toll of production, including the land required to raise crops and animals and the greenhouse gas emissions produced along the way. Experts say improved waste tracking is key to finding ways to ease the problem, such as programs to divert inedible scraps to use as animal feed or fertilizer.
The report found food waste in homes isn含羞草研究社檛 limited to higher income countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom.
Roe of Ohio State noted that food sometimes is wasted in poor countries without reliable home refrigeration. In richer countries, people might eat out more, meaning food waste is simply shifted from the home to restaurants.
Roe said cultural norms and policies also could contribute to waste at home 含羞草研究社� such as massive packaging, 含羞草研究社渂uy one, get one free含羞草研究社� deals, or lack of composting programs.
That含羞草研究社檚 why broader system changes are key to helping reduce waste in households, said Chris Barrett, an agricultural economist at Cornell University.
For example, Barrett said, people might throw away food because of a date on the product 含羞草研究社� even though such dates don含羞草研究社檛 always say when a food is unsafe to eat. 含羞草研究社淔ood waste is a consequence of sensible decisions by people acting on the best information available,含羞草研究社� he said.
To clarify the meaning of labeling dates, U.S. regulators have urged food makers to be more consistent in using them. They note that labels like 含羞草研究社淪ell By含羞草研究社�, 含羞草研究社淏est By含羞草研究社� and 含羞草研究社満卟菅芯可鐫Enjoy By含羞草研究社� could cause people to throw out food prematurely, even though some labels are intended only to indicate when quality might decline.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that a family of four wastes about $1,500 in food each year. But accurately measuring food waste is difficult for a variety of reasons including data availability, said USDA food researcher Jean Buzby, adding that improved measurements are part of a government plan to reduce waste.
Richard Swannell, a co-author of the U.N. report, said food was generally more valued even in richer countries just a few generations ago, since people often couldn含羞草研究社檛 afford to waste it. Now, he said, awareness about the scale of food waste globally could help shift attitudes back to that era.
含羞草研究社淔ood is too important to waste,含羞草研究社� he said.
