Food waste and the environment
Every meal matters and out of all the environmental challenges, reducing food waste is the number one action you can take. With this in mind, we want to inspire and empower everyone to save good food from going to waste because every meal saved is a step towards a greener, cleaner planet.
In our communications, we want to be truthful and we always strive to be as accurate as possible by using credible sources and quoting the most up to date numbers. Curious to know more? See all details listed below.
OVERVIEW OF OUR KEY FACTS & SOURCES
Reducing food waste is the number one action you can take to help tackle climate change, by limiting the temperature rise to 2˚C by 2100.
Project Drawdown (2020). The Drawdown Review. Climate Solutions for a New Decade.
Around 40% of all food produced around the world is wasted. This is 2.5 billion tonnes yearly.
Food waste accounts for 10% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
If food waste were a country, it’d be the third most emitting country in the world (after China & USA).
Producing food that ultimately goes to waste uses more than one quarter of available freshwater annually.
Producing food that ultimately goes to waste takes up a land area larger than China.
Globally, the cost of food waste is about $1.1 trillion dollars each year.
1 out of every 3 fish caught worldwide never makes it to our plate.
Yearly, 18 billion animals intended for human consumption never make it to our plate. That is ⅙ of all produced meat.
The majority of food waste happens at household level in developed countries. This is over 50% in Europe, 55% in the USA, 21% in Canada and 51% in Australia.
In Europe food waste across the supply chain is as follows: 9% at primary production, 21% at manufacturing, 7% at retail and distribution, 9% at restaurants and food services, 54% at households.
Eurostat (2021). Food waste and food waste prevention - estimates. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
In USA, food waste across the supply chain is as follows: 16.9% at the farm (produce only), 9% at manufacturing, 4% at retail, 16% at food services, 55% at households.
ReFED (2023). Food Waste Monitor. Last updated May 2, 2023.
In Canada, food waste across the supply chain is as follows: 6% at primary production, 43% at processing and manufacturing, 5% at retail and other distribution of food, 25% at restaurants and food services and 21% at households.
In Australia, food waste across the supply chain is as follows: 22% at primary production, 17% at manufacturing, 7% at wholesale and retail and 51% at households.
FIAL (2021). The National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Study - Final Report. Manly, Australia.
Of the food available to consumers (food loss not taken into account), 60% of the food waste is happening at household level.
Every meal (1 kg of food) saved from going to waste with Too Good To Go is equivalent to avoiding 2.7 kg CO2e emissions, 2.8 m2 of unnecessary land use per annum, and 810 litres of unnecessary water use.
The Too Good To Go community has saved over 300 million meals from going to waste, thereby avoiding the CO2e equivalent to 140.772 flight tickets around the world.
Based on: Myclimate (2024). The myclimate - Flight Emission Calculator. Zurich. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
By saving 1 baguette from going to waste, you avoid 155 liters of unnecessary water use (and other food product comparisons).
Hoekstra & Water Footprint Network (2017). Product Gallery. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
By saving 1 kg of beef from going to waste, you avoid 100 kg of CO2e emissions (and other food product comparisons).
Poore J. & Nemecek T (2018). Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science. Retrieved November 27, 2023, from ourworldindata.org.10% of domestic food waste comes from confusion around date labels. And 10% of all food waste is related to date labels.
More than 50% of EU consumers indicate confusion by the difference between Use By and Best Before dates.
One in five Europeans will throw away food that has passed its Best Before data, leading to unnecessary waste.
Epinion (2022). At request of Too Good To Go. Impact - date labelling. Report pretest All Markets. n=28,434 across 12 EU countries.
Two out of three consumers feel inspired to use their senses more to avoid unnecessary food waste at home, after seeing the Too Good To Go ‘Look, Smell, Taste’ label.
Epinion (2022). At request of Too Good To Go. Impact - date labelling. Report pretest All Markets. n=28,434 across 12 EU countries.