Cutting Food Waste to Cut Emissions: A Recipe for Climate Action

A lot of food produced never makes it to the supermarket.

A 2024 study estimated that 620 million metric tons of food is lost between harvest and sale due to poor temperature control in the supply chain. Meanwhile, up to 783 million people go hungry worldwide.

This wastage has major implications for the environment, driving climate change, degradation of land and harming biodiversity. That’s why tackling food loss and waste is included as a priority target in goal 12 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

But with the problem on such a large scale, what can be done to start tackling it?

The full scale of food waste

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that more than 1 billion metric tons of food was wasted globally in 2022. That’s enough to fill 5,000 of the largest container ships. Adding this to food lost before it reaches consumers means a third of the global food supply is lost or wasted.

This has similarly massive environmental impacts, producing 8-10 percent of all anthropogenic climate-warming greenhouse gases (GHGs) as it rots in landfills. That’s around 4 times more than the aviation industry.

Crops and livestock also require enormous amounts of resources. 70% of our global freshwater supply and 44% of habitable land are used for agriculture. Improper resource and land use also has a devastating impact on land degradation and biodiversity.

A $1 trillion economic problem, food loss and waste have a direct impact on food security and malnutrition for a global population forecasted to reach nearly 10 billion by 2050.

What causes food loss or waste?

Food loss happens before food reaches the consumer, and food waste happens after. Inefficiencies at harvest or at any point in the supply chain can cause food loss from suboptimal refrigeration or cold-chains used in transporting food over long distances. If your favorite fruits or vegetables are unsold past their expiration date at the supermarket, they're often unceremoniously dumped. Food waste occurs at home as well – we've all discarded meat or fruit we've left a few days past date.

Retailer, restaurant and consumer habits, such as over-purchasing, discarding imperfect produce, confusing labels, oversized portions or overstocking are responsible for much of this food waste. Reducing food loss and waste and its impact on climate change requires intervention at all stages of the supply chain: harvest, producer, storage, transport, trade, processing, wholesale, retail and consumer use. In the UAE, ne’ma, the National Food Loss and Waste Initiative, is taking just such a holistic and collective approach to this problem.

Solutions for reducing industry food loss

Given the pressure on the supply chain, improving supply chain management, diversification of the supply chain and better refrigeration will go a long way to reducing food loss and the consequent emissions. Shortening food supply chains by sourcing more food locally or domestically can also build food supply resilience and reduce emissions.

An ADSW Report cited investments in solutions across the value chain, rather than those focusing only on productivity, as a way to transform food systems through waste reduction. 15.3 percent of food, or 1.2 billion tons, is lost annually before it leaves the farm, for example. Projects that provide financing covering the entire value chain, from production to consumption, were shown to be more likely to provide returns on investment.

Nigeria’s agriculture sector, for instance, imports over 90 percent of the country’s fruit even while produce is seen rotting by the roadside. Investments in last-mile infrastructure, by creating CropBanks, have helped tackle food waste and strengthen farming communities, with the larger impact of transforming the sector.

Deploying artificial intelligence (AI) can further optimize this process and support a circular economy, by monitoring food production and supply chains and redistributing excess food to those in need. The Vision range from London-based startup Winnow, launched in the UAE in 2019, uses AI that is trained on the food items most frequently wasted and helps the hospitality industry make better decisions on food ordering up front.

Hydroponic agriculture, aquaponics, vertical farming and other technologies can grow produce in areas usually intractable to farming. This decreases transportation use and emissions, reliance on imports and potential waste. UAE ventures Smart Acres and Pure Food Technology use vertical farming and hydroponics. ReFarm launched the world’s largest vertical farm enterprise at Dubai’s Al Maktoum International Airport and plans to open an even larger “GigaFarm” to further cut the carbon cost of food production and waste.

Keeping food fresher as it traverses the supply chain and extending shelf life in stores will also reduce loss and the accompanying emissions. One ingenious solution is to infuse the identifying stickers on produce with antimicrobial compounds that spread out to coat the surface of fruit and vegetables. This slows the ripening process and protects them from post-harvest diseases, reducing spoilage. A similar approach using prebiotic stickers that attract beneficial bacteria to the groceries can keep harmful bacteria at bay so food doesn’t spoil.

Reducing consumer food waste

Consumer trends have dictated that only the most appetizing or “perfect” food is displayed for purchase. Even after it reaches our homes, a lot of food spoils or goes unused and is thrown out. So, what can be done to alter this behavior?

HeroGo, a Nigerian-owned startup based in the UAE, uses AI to reclaim and redistribute “imperfect” foods deemed surplus to demand at discounted prices. Doing so helps prevent these food items becoming part of the food waste mountain.

Similarly, meal-planning, designating one day of the week a “use-up day” and using apps to help track and manage the food in your own kitchen or home can help ensure food doesn’t go left unnoticed and avoid the landfill.

A sustainable future for food

It’s clear that to tackle the climate change consequences of food loss and waste requires concerted efforts from farm to fridge. It is an urgent problem framed by the need to feed a growing global population sustainably. It will take a collective effort all the way up from individuals to industry, using a combination of AI and other technology, consumer awareness campaigns and activation, and more besides. By reducing food waste through innovative technologies allied with well-designed consumer programs, we can ensure healthy people – and a healthier planet.