How Much Food Waste Can We Stomach?

The Associated Press (AP) is reporting that more than 70 countries have pledged to do more to cut down on the amount of food lost due to poor refrigeration. The US, China, European Union members, and a number of nations in the Americas, Africa, and Asia are among them.

The signing took place recently at an annual meeting of the Montreal Protocol which took place at the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization headquarters in Rome, Italy.

This is a gathering in which government officials and experts work on regulating man-made chemicals that are used in refrigeration and air-conditioning systems that are harmful to the ozone layer.

According to the AP, “Poor refrigeration leads to the loss of about 9% of perishable food in developed countries and about 23% in developing countries, where millions of people suffer from malnutrition. Experts say better refrigeration would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the harmful gases used in refrigeration and air-conditioning systems.”

About one-third of the world’s food is lost or wasted and the hope is that developing better methods to keep food cold while it’s stored and transported will reduce waste.

The video below is a report from PBS News Hour from just a few months ago highlighting the food waste laws in France that have been in place since 2016. The laws ban large grocery stores from throwing away unsold food that could be given away.