Global Food Waste Crisis: Billions Wasted Annually While Millions Go Hungry

Globally, approximately one in five plates of food served ends up in the bin, accumulating to over a billion tonnes of food waste each year. This stark reality contrasts with the 645 million people facing hunger in 2025, a figure highlighted by the UN's World Food Day on October 16. This annual observance, marking the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 1945, carries this year's theme: “Innovate today, nourish tomorrow.” The focus is on transforming food systems to feed a growing population while minimizing waste.

While global hunger has seen a slow decline for three consecutive years, it remains higher than pre-pandemic levels. The UN's State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report indicates that 645 million people, or 7.8 percent of the global population, experienced hunger in 2025. This is a decrease from 8.1 percent in 2024 and a peak of 8.6 percent in 2022, yet it still means 61 million more people are hungry compared to 2019.

Africa bears the brunt of global hunger, with an estimated 309 million undernourished individuals in 2025, representing one in five people on the continent and nearly half of the world's hungry. Asia follows with 292 million undernourished people (6 percent of its population), and Latin America and the Caribbean with 32 million (4.8 percent).

The 2026 Global Hunger Index further illustrates this disparity. This index, which assesses undernourishment, child stunting, child wasting, and child mortality, scores countries out of 100, with scores of 35 or higher considered “alarming.” Eight countries, seven of them in Africa, have alarming hunger levels. Somalia ranks highest with the worst score, followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, and Madagascar. Sudan, South Sudan, Burundi, and Yemen also face alarming situations, though conflict and data limitations prevented their scores from being calculated.

Simultaneously, a significant portion of the world's food production is lost before reaching consumers. The FAO estimates that about 13 percent of globally produced food is lost post-harvest due to spoilage during storage, transport, or processing, with fruits and vegetables experiencing the highest losses. The value of this pre-retail food loss exceeds $400 billion annually.

Furthermore, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) reports that households, restaurants, and shops discard approximately 1.05 billion tonnes of food available to consumers in 2022. Households are the largest contributors, accounting for 60 percent of this waste, followed by food services (28 percent) and retail (12 percent). This equates to 52.5 million 20-tonne trucks of wasted food.

Given that most food waste originates in households, individuals can significantly impact this issue. Experts and UN agencies recommend several practical strategies:

• Plan your shopping: Before heading to the store, check your pantry and fridge, plan weekly meals, and create a shopping list to avoid impulse purchases.
• Understand date labels: Differentiate between