Over a third of the world’s food produced for human consumption is wasted, with over 200 million tons wasted by consumers in rich countries, equivalent to the net food production of sub-Saharan Africa. Food waste occurs at all levels, with buy-one-get-one-free sales being a major source of waste.
More than a third of the world’s food produced for human consumption is wasted, or more than billions of tons of food each year, of which more than 200 million tons are wasted by consumers in rich countries. To put that into perspective, the amount of food wasted in rich countries is equal to the net food production of sub-Saharan Africa.
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Consumers in North America and Europe throw away more than 200 pounds (more than 90 kg) of food per person per year. Those in sub-Saharan Africa or Asia throw away only 13-20 pounds (about 6-9 kg) of food a year. Americans throw away about a third of the food they buy.
While much food waste occurs at the consumer level, food retailers and manufacturers also waste a lot of food due to an emphasis on foods that look good.
According to a United Nations study, a major source of food waste is buy-one-get-one-free sales, which tend to lead consumers to buy more than they can use and then throw away the excess.
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