To put 2,000 kilocalories on the plate, a global average of 4,600 kilocalories must be harvested from the fields. [15] The FAO estimates that 1.3 billion metric tons, or 32 percent of all food, is lost: in the fields, after harvest, during processing and transportation [16], in supermarkets, bakeries, restaurants, and in private trash cans.
In industrialized countries, food is so cheap today that it is losing its value. This applies to farming, trade, and industry, to restaurants, and also to many private households. Everything must be fresh and available until closing time; best-by dates are misleading; the trash can fills up; and even waste is good business if it was sold beforehand. In the world’s non-industrialized regions, losses in the field and after harvest are often higher due to the climate and a lack of technology. Consumers there, on the other hand, handle their food much more carefully.
The more we have, the more we waste. In Europe, we waste a particularly large amount of grains (baked goods) and fruits and vegetables. [16]
