China wastes almost 30% of its food (2024)

FAQs

China wastes almost 30% of its food? ›

Out-of-home dining accounts for some of the nation's wasted food, but much more is lost during food storage and processing. More than a quarter of food produced for human consumption in China gets lost along the supply chain or lands on rubbish heaps.

China is not exempted from this global phenomenon. More than 35 million tonnes of food – six per cent of China's total food production – are lost or wasted in China annually, enough to feed 30 to 50 million people.

Food is wasted along the entire supply chain

Approximately 30-40 percent of food that farmers around the world produce is never consumed. Between 21 and 33 percent of water used across US farms is wasted.

Worldwide, the three highest food waste countries in 2021, namely with the most food waste originating from households, were China (almost 92 million tonnes), India (almost 69 million tonnes) and the United States of America (almost 20 million tonnes).

Roughly a third of the world's food is wasted. That's about 1.3 billion tons a year. The world loses an astounding quantity of food every year. It blows your mind but a third of all food for human consumption in the world is lost or wasted.

Because of its strict zero food waste policies, sustainable agricultural practices, and the healthy eating habits of its people, France has retained the top spot in the Food Sustainability Index, a study of 34 countries by The Economist Intelligence Unit and the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition Foundation.

However, the pursuit of absolute self-sufficiency in food security is an improbable, if not impossible, goal. The sheer scale of China's population compared to its share of arable land will continue to pose a significant problem, compounded by environmental constraints.

Food waste statistics in the US

In the United States, people waste 92 billion pounds of food annually, equal to 145 billion meals. They throw away over $473 billion worth of food annually. Shockingly, they waste 38% of all the food in America.

Supermarkets, restaurants and consumers are responsible for the majority of food waste in the U.S. and other developed countries. Grocery stores contribute to food waste by encouraging consumers to buy more than they need, overstocking shelves, inaccurately predicting shelf life or damaging products.

What country is it illegal to waste food? ›

Enactment of a single-line anti-food waste law

France, Spain, and China all have a legal policy based on punishment (Feng et al., 2022).

At the retail level, equipment malfunction (such as faulty cold storage), over-ordering, and culling of blemished produce can result in food loss. Consumers also contribute to food loss when they buy or cook more than they need and choose to throw out the extras (See Buzby et al (2014)).

Over a third of all food produced (around 2.5 billion tons) is lost or wasted each year. One third of this occurs in the food production stage. Boston Consulting Group (BCG) estimates this wasted food is worth $230 billion.

Look in your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry first to avoid buying food you already have. Make a list each week of what needs to be used up and plan upcoming meals around it. Plan your meals for the week before you go shopping and buy only the things needed for those meals.

Food waste that is not recycled may be sent to landfill where it rots, causing a huge negative impact on the environment by releasing methane – a harmful greenhouse gas that is 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Some local councils send their non-recyclable waste to be incinerated to create useful energy.

Data showing as 5 may signify a prevalence of undernourishment below 5%. China hunger statistics for 2022 was 0.00%, a 2.5% decline from 2021. China hunger statistics for 2021 was 2.50%, a 0% increase from 2020. China hunger statistics for 2020 was 2.50%, a 0% increase from 2019.

Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs show that over 80 percent of domestic consumption relies on imports. Last year, customs data showed that soybean imports, mainly from the United States, Brazil, and Argentina, jumped 13.3 percent year on year to 100.3 million tons.

Due to China's increasing urbanization and rapid economic growth, the average frequency of eating out has increased, increasing the chances of food waste occurring, which, combined with China's special food culture, has led to a severe form of waste at the consumption stage³⁶.