Driven to Waste: The Global Impact of Food Loss and Waste on Farms

Driven to Waste: Global Food Loss on Farms, a new report from WWF and Tesco, reveals an estimated 2.5 billion tonnes of food goes uneaten around the world each year. That is an increase of approximately 1.2 billion tonnes on the established estimates of 1.3 billion tonnes wasted each year. These new estimates indicate that of all the food grown, approximately 40% goes uneaten, which is higher than the previously estimated figure of 33%.

The report focuses on food losses on farms, around and during harvests and slaughter as well as after. This is the first quantification of total on-farm food loss since 2011. When combined with updated data on loss in supply chains and waste at retail and consumption, we have a clearer picture of the scale of food loss and waste from farm to fork demonstrating how important it is to halve food loss and waste through the whole supply chain, not just in retail and consumption.