01
On the Farm
1.2 billion tonnes of food never even leave the field — lost to cosmetic standards, market gluts, and labor shortages.
A report on what we throw away
We grow enough food to feed the world — and then we throw it out.
Each year, 2.5 billion tonnes of food never make it to a plate. Behind every wasted meal lies wasted water, soil, fuel — and a planet running short on all three.
"A third of dinner ends up in the bin."
40% of all food wasted●10% of global emissions●2.5 billion tonnes per year●1.2 billion tonnes lost on farms●
40% of all food wasted●10% of global emissions●2.5 billion tonnes per year●1.2 billion tonnes lost on farms●
Chapter I
The scale of it.
Numbers from the World Wildlife Fund's Driven to Waste report make it plain: this is not a kitchen problem. It is a planetary one — and it touches every link of the food chain.
40%
of all food produced globally is wasted each year
WWF Driven to Waste, 2021
2.5B
tonnes of food lost or wasted annually worldwide
WWF & Tesco Report
10%
of all greenhouse gas emissions come from wasted food
WWF
$1.7B
spent yearly by U.S. schools on food that ends up in the trash
WWF Fact Sheet
Chapter II
The journey of a wasted meal.
Food is lost long before it ever spoils on your counter. Follow it from soil to scrap.
02
In the Supply Chain
Refrigeration gaps, overproduction, and rejected harvests turn good food into landfill before it ever reaches a shelf.
03
On Our Plates
Households are the single largest source of consumer waste — half a meal scraped off, every day, multiplied by billions.
"If food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases on Earth."
Chapter III
The usual suspects.
Across hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, grocery stores and bakeries, the same handful of foods dominate the bin. Findings drawn from peer-reviewed studies indexed on ScienceDirect.
01
Hotels & Buffets
Bread & pastries
Over-prepared at breakfast buffets; ~30% returned uneaten.
02
Restaurants
Cooked rice & pasta
Batch-cooked in excess; among the top plate-waste items.
03
Supermarkets
Fresh fruit & vegetables
Highest in-store loss category — bruising and cosmetic culling.
04
Grocery stores
Dairy (milk, yogurt)
Pulled days before expiry due to short shelf-life policies.
05
Bakeries
Bread & baked goods
10–20% of daily output discarded to keep shelves 'full till close'.
06
Cafés & Restaurants
Meat & seafood trimmings
Highest carbon-cost waste per kilogram in foodservice.
Source: ScienceDirect — Filimonau et al.; Eriksson et al.; Papargyropoulou et al.