Avoiding food waste

In short: A large share of the food produced worldwide is never eaten but is lost along the way or ends up in the bin. This also wastes the water, land, energy and labour that went into producing it.

In more detail: Losses occur in the field, during transport, processing and retail, but in countries such as Germany the largest share arises in private households. That is exactly where simple habits can achieve a lot.

In detail

• Scale: According to estimates by the UN Environment Programme, a little over one billion tonnes of food was thrown away worldwide in 2022, most of it in households.
• The situation in Germany: Surveys by the Thünen Institute put food waste at around eleven million tonnes a year, more than half of which arises in private households.
• Climate impact: Wasted food causes emissions during cultivation, transport and disposal; the UN Environment Programme estimates its share of global greenhouse gas emissions at roughly 8 to 10 per cent.
• Best-before date: A best-before date is not an expiry date, and many products are still fine afterwards; looking, smelling and tasting help you judge, except for foods with a use-by date such as fresh mince.
• Plan well: A quick look in the fridge and cupboard before shopping and a shopping list prevent impulse buys that later go off.
• Store correctly: The right temperature and packaging extend shelf life; move older products to the front and put new ones at the back.
• Use up leftovers: Leftover meals can be frozen, eaten the next day or turned into new dishes such as bakes, soups or fried rice.
• Share instead of binning: Food-sharing initiatives, food banks and apps pass surplus food from households, bakeries and shops on to other people.
• Political goal: The UN Sustainable Development Goals aim to halve per-capita food waste at retail and consumer level by 2030 (co2-fussabdruck-im-alltag, nachhaltig-einkaufen-und-konsumieren, muelltrennung-richtig-erklaert).