Half Of All Food And Water Produced Worldwide Goes To Waste

A report authored by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the Stockholm International Water Institute, and the International Water Management Institute asserts that more than half of all food and water produced worldwide goes to waste. The brief, "Saving Water: From Field to Fork- Curbing Losses and Wastage in the Food Chain" encourages governments to reduce the rate of food waste by 2025.

According to Treehugger, ten trillion gallons of water is necessary to produce $48 billion worth of wasted food annually.

Anybody who has ever eaten at a buffet or gone to a supermarket knows how much food we waste on a regular basis. You needn't be a devoted freegan to appreciate just how much of the food we throw away is still in near-pristine condition. As if wasting all that food weren't bad enough, one can only imagine the vast quantities water that get frittered away worldwide during production (too much). In the U.S. alone, around 40 trillion liters of water (roughly the amount needed to produce 30% of the country's food), enough to supply the needs of 500 million families, are lost every year.

The report's authors are shocked by the rampant food and water waste:

That's like leaving the tap running and pouring 40 trillion liters of water into the garbage can - enough water to meet the household needs of 500 million people.

Andrew C. Revkin of Dot Earth illuminates the severity of wasted water.

The vast amounts of food lost to spoilage and insects in poor countries, and simply tossed in rich ones, also represent an enormous stream of wasted water, according to a new report that calls for big improvements in a world heading toward 9 billion hungry, thirsty mouths.

Related:

::More on the politics of food from the Huffington Post
::Read Maura Judkis' blog on 9 ways to cut down on food waste from the Huffington Post.

Comments

[mamacat]

Once again..........

In arid California, about 20% of all the water used goes to subsidised farmers growing a tropical crop, rice. Rice is normally grown in the tropics, or in places with plentiful and abundant rainfall.

The same percentage of water consumed in the state, 20%, is used directly by people, not in farming.

Somehow, here in California, we need to reduce the amount of water that is given almost free to rice farmers, and use that water more intelligently. There are places in California where rice farming is practical, but not many. Changing to less water-intensive crops could increase the amount of water available for growing other food crops, and also free up more water for direct human consumption.

[paulbikes]

only half?

i live with two other guys and a girl, and i dont think we waste more than 20, and that is composted. how do you waste half?

then again i read that 4% of what gets mined etc makes it into a final product. read "natural capitalism", good book.

[wtmesq]

The wasted food wouldnt be half as bad as it sounds if the wasted food were all composted. Then it just goes back to producing more food, reduces the needed water inputs and is basically just recycled.

[STORMATSEA]

When will we start dealing with the disease instead of the symptoms of the disease.
The problem that is reaking all of the havoc on this earth is over population. We are unwilling to do anything to stop over production of humans. And those who over populate devistate their own countries and then migrate to others to continue their destructive life style. This life style is usually fed by religon and always depletes the enviroment and drags down every ones quality of life.
Like all parasites we will deplete the host (earth) until it dies, then we die.

[JScott]

Indeed or do we wanna world like this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_Inside

in 2381 75 billion people living in huge buildings, never going outside, no wilderness left, no privacy, lotsa drugs and sex, no birth control-chilling.

[rwe]

water cannot be wasted... Food on the other hand...If we used food for food and fuel for fuel , Drill Here Drill now , a lot less wasted food.

[STORMATSEA]

you rwe are an ass.
the subject is not drilling for oil, pay attention.

[KillTheMessenger]

Every time I read your nonsense I am getting cramps.

[axt113]

Water can be easily wasted, ad cleaning and desalinating water is extremely difficult and expensive, and fresh water is limited

[CharlesJ]

If this report is true, why do we not load it onto ships and send it to people all over the world that are starving? Better yet why do we not give it to those Americans that are truly needy, that go hungry every day of the year because they do not have the money to buy what we toss every day? This is really messed up. We throw out so much that is perfectly usable and consumable daily, yet we have people that are starving? Something is seriously wrong with that picture.

[KillTheMessenger]

Because once it is spoiled it is useless for human consumption. That is true for water as well as food. There is very little hope that we can recover much of this food but there is a little bit of hope for the water. We would not be sending it anywhere, though. Our own water resources are so strained that we need to conserve it or we are looking at serious droughts in the US.

[JScott]

It is incorrect-Water is not 'produced' (that implies that some entity is bringing hydrogen and oxygen together to make more of it, humans might be able to do that but at what cost to the planet). There is the same amount of water as there was since before humans were on the planet.

[axt113]

Not all water is drinkable genius, go chug a tall galss of saltwater, or sewer water, see where that gets you

[JScott]

It didn't specify if it was drinkable, it just sez water.

[HeevenSteven]

What exactly does it mean to "waste water" It's not like it disappears, or dissociates. It returns to the environment as liquid or vapor. What's really being wasted in the energy it takes to treat it or move it from one place to another.

[KillTheMessenger]

There is not as much potable water on this planet as one is inclined to assume by opening a faucet. Salt water is very expensive to desalinate, so we need to mostly rely on the natural water cycles to provide what we need. And those are indeed limited resources. Not all water cycles are replenishing reservoirs at the same rate at which we are consuming them, which in effect means that we are relying on non-renewable resources.

[HeevenSteven]

To the extent we're pumping it out of aquifers, I agree.

[thecanadian]

Water is as Important as OIL!
This article has all the links to make yourself aware of the importance of WATER. I know it isn't as exciting as the election bashing but in a couple of years - it will be as important as your OIL is right now! Excellent compellation of food/water - links! Thanks HuffPo. for the article.
You can live without OIL but there is NO alternative to no Water!

[Sumocat]

"Water is as Important as OIL!' -- Actually, water is more important than oil, but I agree with your sentiment. :)