Waste less food and build a more resilient food system
This post is written by Clementine O'Connor, United Nations Environment Programme, and Richard Swannell, Oxford Martin School Visiting Fellow
Every day, food that took large amounts of land, water and energy to produce is lost or wasted. An estimated 13% of the world's food is lost after harvest and before reaching markets, while 19% of food available to consumers is wasted at retail, food service, and household levels. Together, these cost the global economy over a trillion dollars a year, more than the GDP of Poland. Reducing these losses makes better use of what we already produce and help food systems withstand future shocks.
The encouraging news is that more countries, states and businesses are acting than ever before. UNEP's Food Waste Breakthrough Country Champions - Japan and the UK - have achieved profound reductions of 53% and 22% respectively, with Brazil adopting comprehensive policy frameworks and preparing to implement these systematically at city-level. The Champions 12.3 Coalition's 2026 Progress Report shows binding food waste laws taking effect this year in Spain, Panama, California, and New South Wales, and 30 countries addressing food loss and waste in their latest climate plans. More companies are acting too, with more multinationals cutting food loss and waste by more than half. The task now is to scale what works.
Food loss and waste matters for the climate too. These account for an estimated 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. When food ends up in landfill, it releases methane, a gas around 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over 20 years. Preventing food waste avoids those emissions while saving the resources used to grow, process and transport food.
UNEP's recent Limiting Overshoot report highlights the importance of cutting methane emissions, and reducing food waste is a practical, scalable way to avoid methane emissions from landfill. Every tonne of food saved contributes to making any overshoot of 1.5°C as small and as short as possible. Where waste is unavoidable, separate collection of organic waste rescues this resource, enabling composting and other recovery to preserve nutrients and improve soil health, building resilience as it cuts emissions. Zero waste is also set to go onto the UN climate agenda at COP31 in Türkiye this November, with food loss and waste among the priorities of its Action Agenda. This has the strong potential to drive action at scale.
Building resilience is at the heart of the food security case for more action. The latest UN figures show 645 million people faced hunger in 2025, with 2.1 billion experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity, and warn that weather extremes, including El Niño in 2026 and 2027, could undermine progress. With geopolitical tensions and supply chain disruption adding to the pressure, every tonne of food we save is a buffer against the next shock. Making the most of what we already produce is both prudent and profitable.
Lasting resilience also depends on people. Today's young people will inherit both the problem and the opportunity. We must ensure they are aware and equipped to deliver further innovation and change, for their benefit and that of future generations. COP31 has recognised this by making youth and education a priority theme. UNEP is supporting this effort through its new publication, Youth for Food, Not Waste: A Facilitation Guide for a Youth-led Month of Action on Food Waste, launching on the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, which equips teachers, educators, youth leaders and parents with practical tools to engage young people in food waste prevention and encourage lasting behavioural change. This is a key part of embedding transformational change.
So, this International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, let's all act to build a more resilient food system. Governments: set targets and back them with resources. Businesses: measure and act on your findings. Educators and parents: pass on the passion. And all of us: buy what we need and eat what we buy. Let's waste less and build a more sustainable and resilient future.