FOOD WASTE FACTSAbout Food Waste

Food loss happens at an earlier stage in the supply chain and this food does not re-enter the supply chain for any other production use, like animal feed. It happens at harvest, slaughter or catch, so before the food reaches the store shelves, restaurants, food service provider or the end consumer. The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO, 2019), defines food loss as a “decrease in the quantity or quality of food resulting from decisions and actions by food suppliers in the chain, excluding retailers, food service providers and consumers.” This loss of food can happen due to many different reasons.

According to WWF (2021), 1.2 billion tonnes of food loss happens at farms each year.

Food waste happens at the end of the supply chain, for example when the food has made it to retailers, grocery stores, food service providers and consumer households. The FAO defines food waste as “the decrease in the quantity or quality of food resulting from decisions and actions by retailers, food services and consumers” (FAO, 2019).

According to UNEP (2024) and FAO (2019), 1.4 billion tonnes of food waste happens at processing, distribution, retail, food services and household levels.

When reducing or avoiding food waste, we avoid harmful CO2e emissions and the unnecessary use of valuable resources including water and land. Each meal saved from going to waste through Too Good To Go, is equivalent to avoiding 2.7 kg of CO2e emissions, avoiding the unnecessary use of 810 litres of water, and avoiding the unnecessary annual use of 2.8 m2 of land (Merieux Nutrisciences | Blonk, 2024).

Saving food from going to waste through Too Good To Go offers environmental benefits on three levels:

• All the energy and resources used in the process of making that food have not been used in vain;
• Consuming this surplus food means that additional food does not need to be produced;
• The food that you rescue from going to waste will now not end up in landfills or incinerators, avoiding additional emissions.