By Nyang’au Araka
The United Nations (UN) has called for urgent global action to tackle food waste.
The UN warned that nearly one-fifth of all food available to consumers is lost or discarded each year, as the world marked the International Day of Zero Waste on Monday.
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In a statement released to commemorate the day, the UN said about one billion tonnes of edible food are wasted annually, a trend with serious consequences for both people and the environment.
The global body noted that around 60 percent of “this waste occurs at the household level, while the rest is largely generated by food service providers and retailers due to inefficiencies in production, distribution and consumption systems.”
It emphasized that addressing the crisis will require a shift toward more sustainable and circular food systems built on efficiency, resilience and sustainability.
The body called on governments to integrate food waste reduction into climate and biodiversity strategies, strengthen national policies on circularity and agriculture, and enhance monitoring and measurement frameworks.
Governments were also urged to foster stronger public-private partnerships and demonstrate leadership by joining initiatives such as the Food Waste Breakthrough.
Businesses, the UN said, have a responsibility to set measurable targets to reduce food waste and embed them into broader sustainability commitments.
It encouraged innovation across supply chains to improve efficiency and accelerate the transition to circular food systems, while also calling on companies to collaborate in scaling solutions.
Consumers were not left out, with the UN urging individuals to adopt mindful practices such as planning meals, storing food properly and supporting food recovery and composting initiatives.
It stressed that everyday actions can help make food waste socially unacceptable while conserving resources.
“A zero-waste future is possible when we all work together,” the statement said, encouraging collective responsibility in ensuring that food is valued rather than wasted.
The International Day of Zero Waste was established by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2022 during its seventy-seventh session, following a resolution spearheaded by Türkiye and supported by 105 countries.
The observance is jointly facilitated by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).
The day is part of broader global efforts to address pollution and promote sustainable consumption and production, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The UN noted that zero-waste initiatives contribute directly to achieving key goals, including Sustainable Development Goal 11 on sustainable cities and communities and Sustainable Development Goal 12 on responsible consumption and production.
Through the annual observance, UN Member States, civil society, private sector players, academia, and other stakeholders are encouraged to raise awareness and implement solutions that reduce waste at all levels, including food loss, electronic waste and unsustainable resource use.
