Understanding the Magnitude of Global Food Waste:

- The United Nations recently released a report titled ‘Think Eat Save: Tracking Progress to Halve Global Food Waste’. This report highlighted the alarming scale of food waste across the globe.

- It was reported that in 2022, approximately 1.05 billion tonnes of food were wasted, which accounts for 19% of food available to consumers. This wastage was primarily at the retail, food service, and household level.

- Households were identified as the biggest culprits, generating 60% of the total food waste in 2022, resulting in 631 million tonnes.

Food Waste vs. Food Insecurity:

- A striking contradiction evident in the report was that while the world wasted a significant amount of food, nearly 783 million people were facing hunger, with a third of humanity grappling with food insecurity.

- Unlike common perception, food waste is not exclusive to affluent nations. The disparity between high-income, upper-middle income, and lower-middle income countries regarding household food waste is just 7 kg/capita/year.

Geographical Dispersion and Environmental Impact of Food Waste:

- A notable difference exists between urban and rural areas of middle-income countries in terms of food waste, with rural regions generally wasting less.

- The environmental cost of food loss and waste is immense as it generates between 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This is close to five times the total emissions from the aviation sector.

India's Struggle with Food Wastage:

- India, harbouring the largest hunger-population globally, wastes approximately 78.2 million tonnes of food annually as per the United Nations Food Waste Index Report.

- The report indicates that rural India is more frugal, wasting less food compared to urban areas.

- According to the 2023 Global Hunger Index Report, India ranks 111 out of 125 countries, reflecting a 'serious' level of hunger severity.

Recommended Solutions:

- The UN report emphasised the necessity of improved data on food waste, accurate measurement being the first step towards effective management.

- Governments are urged to establish food waste reduction policies in alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.3.

- Public-Private Partnerships could play a vital role in developing effective strategies to reduce food waste.

- The significance of consumer awareness, innovation, and technology, and adoption of sustainable practices across the food supply chain were also highlighted as potential solutions to counter food waste.

This current affairs information touches upon several key areas important for government exams such as international organisations (United Nations), global issues (Food Waste), national issues (India's food waste and hunger scenario), and sustainable development goals. An understanding of this information may benefit candidates in both the General Knowledge and environment sections.