Enormous quantities of food are thrown away every day. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), about one third of global food production (around 30 to 40%), is lost or wasted annually.
Every year rich countries waste more that 220 million tonnes of food. Per capita waste by consumers is between 95 and 115 kgs per year in Europe and North America, while in Sub-Saharan Africa and South/South-East Asia, the “throw away” represents 6 to 11 kgs per capita per year, according to Isabelle Denis from the FAO Liaison Office in Brussels.
Each day supermarkets throw away huge amounts of edible food. In Europe, over 89 billion tons of food is being thrown away. For some people this is just unacceptable. Therefore they go through dumpsters every day in search of edible fruit, meat or vegeatables. Meet... the dumpster divers.
At the screening of Taste the Waste, a film by German movie director Valentin Thurn, we asked Roger Waite, the European Commission’s Spokesman for Agriculture and Rural Development some questions about food waste in Europe.
