Global Report Shows Reductions in Food Waste

The first global report from the Food Pact Network, published late last year, shows substantial reductions in food waste and associated greenhouse gas emissions.

Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. drive global action voluntarily, according to the report.

The Food Pact Network was convened by WRAP, a global nongovernmental organization (NGO), in 2024. It has united 10 national and regional Food Pacts across nine countries that account for 14% of the global population and approximately 20% of global food waste.

The Food Pacts have the support of 920 organizations, including 550 food businesses.

“The Food Pact Network is on a roll and making strong inroads—achieving real reductions in food waste, realizing cost savings for businesses and citizens, and benefiting the environment,” Catherine David, CEO of WRAP, said in a statement.

Every year, more than 1 billion tons of food is lost or wasted—double the amount that could feed the 783 million people who go hungry globally.

Food waste accounts for 8%–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions and costs the global economy over $1 trillion annually. Food waste is embedded in how food is grown, sold, and consumed, and driven by economic incentives that favor excessive production, regulations that hinder redistribution, infrastructure that neglects sustainability, and cultural norms equating abundance with prosperity, according to WRAP.

In its 2024 Food Waste Index, the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) highlighted the scalability of the Food Pact model, stating that coordinated action of this kind delivers faster, deeper impact.

Other highlights include 2.7 million tons of surplus food redistributed and 220,000 tons of food waste avoided.

Call to action

The Food Pact Network report sets out direct action for funders and philanthropists, national governments, and food businesses:

• Funders and philanthropy must invest in the Food Pact Network to accelerate proven solutions to deepen impact in countries with Food Pacts and support the expansion of new pacts where the most impact can be made.
• Governments must lead through policy and investment to make food loss and waste a national priority by integrating food loss and waste reduction into climate plans and review policy barriers to food waste reduction, such as redistribution and waste prevention.
• Food and drink businesses must commit to action on food waste and become a signatory to a Food Pact and set business targets for food waste reduction, track and measure data, and act on insights to prevent food loss and waste across supply chains and customers’ homes, and improve supply chain efficiency.