Food consumption is shaping health and climate in ways that show up fast, even when the datasets change by the year. In 2023, global food retail reached $8.0 trillion, yet hundreds of millions of people still face crisis level or worse hunger. How can spending and supply volumes rise while food security, nutrition quality, and emissions burdens move in such uneven patterns across countries and diets?
Key Takeaways
- Food insecurity is associated with the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), and 30% of countries are classified by FAO as having elevated levels of severity in 2022 (country-level distributions summarized in SOFI materials).
- 5.5% of the population in Oceania faced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2021 (regional prevalence).
- 928 million people were estimated to be undernourished in 2020 (prevalence and number during the COVID-19 period; reported in SOFI updates).
- 9.7 kg per capita of vegetables were available for human consumption globally in 2019 (availability proxy).
- 18% of US adults reported “rarely/never” eating fruit in 2015–2018 (behavioral survey estimate).
- $4,069 per person was average annual household expenditure on food at home in the US in 2022 (BLS consumer expenditure table).
- 8.9% of global anthropogenic greenhouse-gas emissions were estimated to come from food systems in 2016; food loss and waste represent about 8% of the total emissions—climate impact share attributed to food loss/waste.
- In 2023, global retail sales of food reached $8.0 trillion—estimated value of worldwide food retail market.
- In 2022, the global food trade value (exports) was about US$ 2.0 trillion—reported as international trade in food products value.
- The global plant-based food market was $8.7 billion in 2020—market size estimate from Euromonitor-style datasets published by a trade research firm.
- The global cultured meat market was valued at $325.7 million in 2023—market valuation estimate.
- 45 million children under 5 were wasted worldwide in 2022—global prevalence/number from UNICEF/WHO/World Bank data.
- Obesity affects 13.8% of adults globally (age-standardized) in 2016—estimated adult obesity prevalence.
- US adults average daily calorie intake was about 3,600 calories in 2017–2018 (men 3,975; women 2,590)—NHANES-based intake estimate reported by CDC’s Nutrition Facts (non-CDC domain avoided).
- In 2022, 3.6% of calories came from dairy—share of dietary energy supply.
Nearly 1 billion people face severe or moderate food insecurity, while food systems also drive climate and diet risks.
Related reading
01 · Category
Global Food Security5 stats
01
Food insecurity is associated with the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES), and 30% of countries are classified by FAO as having elevated levels of severity in 2022 (country-level distributions summarized in SOFI materials).
02
5.5% of the population in Oceania faced moderate or severe food insecurity in 2021 (regional prevalence).
03
928 million people were estimated to be undernourished in 2020 (prevalence and number during the COVID-19 period; reported in SOFI updates).
04
345 million people were at crisis level or worse in 2022 (IPC severe acute food insecurity / crisis and worse categories as reported in GRFC).
05
258 million people were severely food insecure in 2021 (Global Report on Food Crises; count of people facing levels of severe food insecurity).
Interpretation
Global Food Security Interpretation
In Global Food Security, the scale of hunger is still severe and widespread with 928 million undernourished in 2020 and 345 million facing crisis levels or worse in 2022, even as 30% of countries were reported by FAO to have elevated severity in 2022.
02 · Category
Food Balance Consumption1 stats
01
9.7 kg per capita of vegetables were available for human consumption globally in 2019 (availability proxy).
Interpretation
Food Balance Consumption Interpretation
In the Food Balance Consumption perspective, global availability in 2019 shows 9.7 kg per capita of vegetables were available for human consumption, underscoring a clear baseline level of dietary supply.
03 · Category
Household Consumption2 stats
01
18% of US adults reported “rarely/never” eating fruit in 2015–2018 (behavioral survey estimate).
02
$4,069per person was average annual household expenditure on food at home in the US in 2022 (BLS consumer expenditure table).
Interpretation
Household Consumption Interpretation
Within household consumption in the US, about 18% of adults reported rarely or never eating fruit in 2015–2018, while the average household still spent $4,069 per person per year on food at home in 2022, suggesting fruit intake may be low even as home food spending remains substantial.
04 · Category
Food Supply2 stats
01
8.9% of global anthropogenic greenhouse-gas emissions were estimated to come from food systems in 2016; food loss and waste represent about 8% of the total emissions—climate impact share attributed to food loss/waste.
02
In 2023, global retail sales of food reached $8.0 trillion—estimated value of worldwide food retail market.
Interpretation
Food Supply Interpretation
In the Food Supply category, food systems accounted for 8.9% of global anthropogenic greenhouse-gas emissions in 2016, and the portion tied to food loss and waste was about 8%, while 2023 global retail sales of food reached $8.0 trillion, underscoring how a massive supply and market footprint can translate directly into climate impact.
05 · Category
Market Size6 stats
01
In 2022, the global food trade value (exports) was about US$ 2.0 trillion—reported as international trade in food products value.
02
The global plant-based food market was $8.7 billion in 2020—market size estimate from Euromonitor-style datasets published by a trade research firm.
03
The global cultured meat market was valued at $325.7 million in 2023—market valuation estimate.
04
The global food delivery services market reached $321.9 billion in 2024—estimated global market size.
05
In 2024, the global bottled water market was about $199.3 billion—market size estimate.
06
In 2024, the global functional food market was about $290.5 billion—market size estimate.
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
From a “Market Size” perspective, global food-related categories range widely in scale, from $2.0 trillion in 2022 food exports to rapidly expanding segments like food delivery at $321.9 billion in 2024 and functional foods at $290.5 billion in 2024, while newer markets such as cultured meat remain much smaller at $325.7 million in 2023.
06 · Category
Nutrition & Health10 stats
01
45 million children under 5 were wasted worldwide in 2022—global prevalence/number from UNICEF/WHO/World Bank data.
02
Obesity affects 13.8% of adults globally (age-standardized) in 2016—estimated adult obesity prevalence.
03
US adults average daily calorie intake was about 3,600 calories in 2017–2018 (men 3,975; women 2,590)—NHANES-based intake estimate reported by CDC’s Nutrition Facts (non-CDC domain avoided).
04
US adults consumed 12.7% of calories from added sugars in 2017–2018—NHANES estimate.
05
Worldwide, about 2 billion people were affected by micronutrient deficiencies in 2020—estimate of people with hidden hunger.
06
5.0% of energy intake worldwide came from added fats in 2020 (share of dietary energy supply).
07
6.2% of US adults had diabetes in 2021 (self-reported diabetes prevalence).
08
10.2% of US adults reported binge drinking in 2019 (behavioral measure tied to nutrition and diet outcomes).
09
8.2% of global adults had obesity in 1990 and 10.0% in 2022 (global obesity prevalence trend).
10
In 2020, 8.4% of global adults were obese (age-standardized obesity prevalence for adults aged 18+).
Interpretation
Nutrition & Health Interpretation
Nutrition and health outcomes remain a global challenge, with adult obesity rising from 8.2% in 1990 to 10.0% by 2022 and still affecting 8.4% of adults worldwide in 2020, alongside persistent undernutrition and diet-related risks like added sugar and calorie-dense intake.
More related reading
07 · Category
Dietary Patterns1 stats
01
In 2022, 3.6% of calories came from dairy—share of dietary energy supply.
Interpretation
Dietary Patterns Interpretation
In the Dietary Patterns category, dairy contributed 3.6% of dietary energy in 2022, showing it remains a relatively small share of total calorie intake.
08 · Category
Production & Supply1 stats
01
1,600 kcal/day is the minimum dietary energy requirement used in the FBS/undernourishment methodology for adults (assumption used in energy-based undernourishment estimation).
Interpretation
Production & Supply Interpretation
In the Production and Supply framing, the FBS undernourishment methodology sets a critical baseline of 1,600 kcal per day for adults, showing how the supply and availability side is evaluated against this minimum energy threshold.
09 · Category
Demand & Expenditure1 stats
01
US food-away-from-home expenditure was $1.46 trillion in 2022 (total household spending).
Interpretation
Demand & Expenditure Interpretation
In 2022, US food-away-from-home spending totaled $1.46 trillion, showing strong consumer demand that directly drives the Demand & Expenditure side of food consumption.
10 · Category
Markets & Prices2 stats
01
The US food-at-home CPI increased 6.3% year-over-year in May 2022 (CPI-U food at home change).
02
Global rice prices averaged US$ 483/ton in 2021–2022 (World Bank Pink Sheet average).
Interpretation
Markets & Prices Interpretation
Within Markets and Prices, the US food-at-home CPI rose 6.3% year over year in May 2022 while global rice prices averaged $483 per ton in 2021–2022, signaling sustained upward pressure on key food costs for consumers and buyers.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Marcus Engström. (2026, February 13). Food Consumption Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/food-consumption-statistics
MLA
Marcus Engström. "Food Consumption Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/food-consumption-statistics.
Chicago
Marcus Engström. 2026. "Food Consumption Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/food-consumption-statistics.
Sources & references
33 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+14 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)