According to the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), 32 percent of food produced around the globe is lost or wasted. In developed countries, the majority of food wasted is at a market level or consumer level, whereas in developing countries the cause of food loss is inefficient systems of production, storage, and transportation. In the latest issue of the World Policy Journal, Amy G. McDermott discusses the financial, environmental, and human cost of food loss and waste. The infographic below provides the numbers on food lost and wasted, taking special note of the developed-developing country dichotomy.
Sources: Food and Agricultural Organization, World Resources Institute
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Online infrographic produced by Abby Shamray, editorial assistant at World Policy Journal.
[Photo courtesy of Natalie Maynor]