FAO calls on countries to reduce food losses

The Director-General of the Rome-based United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has called on countries to redouble efforts to halve food waste by the end of this decade.

The organization said around 14 per cent of the world’s total food production is lost between harvest and retail, costing $400 billion in food value each year.

In a message to commemorate the second International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu said, more efficient, inclusive and sustainable agricultural and food systems will help to reduce world hunger and reduce the strain on the environment.

Inger Andersen, the Executive Director of United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), said food loss and waste accounts for around a tenth of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Source: GNA