Sustainable food system is not a global phenomenon, the ratio of Hungry Nations topples that of well-fed ones, just a handful of countries have the adequate resources to manage food production and storage, reason why one-third of World food goes to waste annually while starvation ravages on in some parts of the world.
Famine could also be categorized as a Natural disasters as well as outbreak of diseases, unfortunately, despite the amount of food produced; wastage is another monumental problem complementing World Famine and starvation rate. With a staggering 1.6 Billion tons of food perishing, which is approximately $1.2 Trillion in value is lost to food wastes and loss.
The amount of food valued above is equivalent to one-third of the total amount of food that is produced annually worldwide. By physical comparison, this is equal in size to Manhattan in the US and by estimation, economy and financial experts says the total food loss/waste yearly could hit 2.1 Billion tons by 2030 and that is approximately $1.5Trillion in value. - BCG
Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a global management consulting firm with over 80 offices all around the World, in their analysis, BCG statistics agrees with The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and World Resources Institute, which stated that this food wastes results in more reported cases of global hunger problem which is accountable for over 870million people around the World going hungry and under-nourished. This food waste/loss also accounts for 8% of greenhouse gas emissions globally.
To cut food losses and wastes rates, the key factors responsible needs to be figure out first and then analyse. After analysis, five major causes were identified resulting in these losses and once this five factors are addressed, this could drop the huge amount in loss valued close to $700 Billion in food waste and loss.
However, wastage and food loss takes places at the beginning and the end of food production (value chain), although it is more prominent at production stage where harvesting, transportation, storage accounts for and then, during consumption which is the final phase, in food production processing.
Most developing Nations are the biggest Victims, overpopulation and poor economical infrastructures puts them in a critical condition hence they face bigger food loss and wastages due to poor production, transportation(distribution) and storage which results in under-nourishment, malnutrition and Famine.
Developed countries on the other hand faces a different problem in food waste and this is in the food consumption phase. This is where most damage is done and it occurs mainly between retailers and consumers, unlike third world countries often plagued with storage and preservation problem.
The rate of loss and wastage is now an emerging issue of concern globally that is so critical prompting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to be laden with the task of cutting down these wastage and losses into half by the year 2030.
Maybe a huge misuse of resources on the part of developed countries, food production is the first resources for survival right before early civilization, food is one of the most viable resource to survive in any living organism, same goes for humans. Sadly there are more people going hungry year by year.