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From: UNNews <UNNews@un.org>
Date: 5 Jun 2013 11:00:00 -0400
Subject: ON WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY, UN SPOTLIGHTS 'ABSURDITY' OF
GLOBAL FOOD WASTE
To: news11@ny-mail-p-lb-028.ptc.un.org
ON WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY, UN SPOTLIGHTS 'ABSURDITY' OF GLOBAL FOOD
WASTENew York, Jun 5 2013 11:00AMWith tons of edible produce
squandered each year – never making it from farm to fork – senior
United Nations officials are issuing a call on
<"http://www.unep.org/wed/">World Environment Day to "reduce your
foodprint!," urging everyone to help curb the massive loss and waste
inherent in today's food systems.
"On this World Environment Day, I urge all actors in the global food
chain to take responsibility for environmentally sustainable and
socially equitable food systems," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said
in his <"http://www.un.org/sg/statements/index.asp?nid=6871">message
for the Day.
Currently at least one third of all food produced fails to make it
from farm to table. "This is foremost an affront to the hungry, but
it also represents a massive environmental cost in terms of energy,
land and water," the UN chief said, noting that in developing
countries, pests, inadequate storage facilities and inefficient
supply chains are major contributors to food loss.
Those who grow for export are also often at the mercy of
over-stringent expectations of buyers who place a premium on cosmetic
perfection. In developed nations, food thrown away by households and
the retail and catering industries rots in landfills, releasing
significant quantities of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.
"Food loss and waste is something we can all address," Mr. Ban said,
noting that the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN
Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and public and private sector
partners have launched the <em>"Think.Eat.Save: Reduce Your
Foodprint"</em> campaign to raise global awareness and showcase
solutions relevant to developed and developing countries alike.
The Secretary-General explained that infrastructure and technology
can reduce the amount of food that perishes after it is harvested and
before it reaches the market. Governments in developing countries can
work to improve essential infrastructure and maximize trade
opportunities with neighbours; developed nations can support fair
trade and rationalize sell-by dates and other labelling systems;
businesses can revise their criteria for rejecting produce; and
consumers can minimize waste by buying only what they need and
re-using left-over food.
The current global population of 7 billion is expected to grow to 9
billion by 2050. But the number of hungry people need not increase.
"By reducing food waste, we can save money and resources, minimize
environmental impacts and, most importantly, move towards a world
where everyone has enough to eat," Mr. Ban said.
The scale of the food waste issue is highlighted in a new report,
released today to coincide with World Environment Day (WED), which
found out that one out of every four calories produced by the global
agricultural system is being lost or wasted.
According to the study 'Reducing Food Loss and Waste,' which was
produced by the World Resources Institute and UNEP and draws from FAO
research, the world will need about 60 per cent more food calories in
2050 compared to 2006 if global demand continues on its current
trajectory.
"It is an extraordinary fact that in the 21st century, close to 25
per cent of all the calories linked with growing and producing food
are lost or wasted between the farm and the fork—food that could feed
the hungry, food that has required energy, water and soils in a world
of increasing natural resource scarcities and environmental concerns
including climate change," said Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive
Director, drawing attention to the absurdity that high volumes of
perfectly edible produce are never consumed.
"The menu of case studies and recommendations in this study provide
national and community-led solutions that ally smart policies with
traditional knowledge, modern science and common sense," he added,
referring to the study's recommendations.
Through this year's WED campaign, the UN and its partners are
inviting people across the world to join in an effort to raise
awareness and take practical actions "whether in your home, whether
on your farm, whether in the supermarket, in a canteen, in a hotel or
anywhere else where food is prepared and consumed."
This year's global host for the Day is Mongolia, one of the fastest
growing economies in the world and one that is aiming for a
transition to a green economy and a green civilization. "It is not a
big waster or loser of food, but the traditional and nomadic life of
many of its people does have some ancient answers to the modern-day
challenge of food waste," Mr. Steiner said.
The Mongol General Chinggis Khan and his troops utilized a
traditional food called "borts" to gallop across Asia without
depending on elaborate supply chains. Borts, he explained, is
basically concentrated beef equal to the protein of an entire cow but
condensed and ground down to the size of a human fist. "This
remarkable method of food preservation, without refrigeration, meant
a meal equivalent to several steaks when the protein was shaved into
hot water to make soup," he said.
In advance of WED, UNEP has also been compiling similar examples of
traditional and indigenous knowledge from familiar techniques such as
pickling or salting fish to the smoking of meat, the drying of fruit
and other techniques employed by the Inuits to preserve seabirds
which are served later at feasts and weddings.
WED is being observed in many countries today, including in Iraq,
where at least 1.9 million people are food deprived and 4 million are
vulnerable to food insecurity. Resident Humanitarian Coordinator
Jacqueline Badcock stressed that taking care of the environment is
crucial to address food insecurity in the country, which increasingly
relies on imports to meet its food needs due to poor environmental
management.
"It is essential that the Government continues to put in place the
policies and good environmental practices that will re-establish
Iraqi agriculture and ensure food supply for the most vulnerable," she
said.Jun 5 2013 11:00AM
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