Global food waste and loss costs an estimated $1.6 trillion annually. The scale of the problem is immense, with about 1.6 billion tonnes of food lost or wasted each year. These figures drive significant environmental impacts and shape growing policy and market responses.
Key Takeaways
- Approximately 1.6 billion tonnes of food are lost and wasted globally per year (with the FAO “food loss and waste” framing used in the UN/FAO literature)
- US$1.6 trillion in global economic cost from food loss and waste each year (estimated value of lost/wasted food)
- The global food waste market is valued at $24.6 billion in 2024 (market size estimate reported by an industry analyst)
- Global composting market expected to reach $11.7 billion by 2030 (industry forecast compiled by analyst publication)
- China produced an estimated 60 million tonnes of food waste in cities in 2016 (peer-reviewed estimate cited from city-level quantification literature)
- In US municipal solid waste, food waste represents 24% of materials disposed (EPA factsheet share for MSW composition)
- 2025 is the EU’s target year for the “Farm to Fork” ambition to reduce food waste by 30% (baseline policy in European Commission communication)
- 2030 is the EU Waste Framework Directive’s timeline for Member States to meet landfill diversion obligations that affect organic waste (context for food waste impacts)
- The UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 calls for halving per-capita global food waste at retail and consumer levels by 2030 and reducing food losses along production and supply chains
- Food waste causes about 1.4 billion hectares of land use pressure globally per year (land footprint associated with wasted food)
- Food waste results in about 30% of global freshwater withdrawals used for producing food that is never consumed (freshwater withdrawal share in major syntheses)
- A 2006 IPCC assessment reports that methane has a global warming potential of 28 over 100 years (AR4; widely used in landfill calculations)
- Food waste in landfill drives leachate and methane; EPA estimates landfill methane generation is largely due to anaerobic decomposition of organic waste (landfill methane generation basics)
- The global food waste management market was $12.3 billion in 2023 (industry analyst market size estimate)
- The food waste collection & processing market is projected to reach $xx billion by 2030 (vendor/analyst forecast with numeric target)
Food waste costs $1.6 trillion yearly and creates major climate and resource impacts, so cutting it by 2030 is urgent.
Related reading
01 · Category
Global Burden1 stats
01
Approximately 1.6 billion tonnes of food are lost and wasted globally per year (with the FAO “food loss and waste” framing used in the UN/FAO literature)https://www.fao.org/food-loss-and-food-waste/flw-data/en/
Interpretation
Global Burden Interpretation
From the global burden perspective, the fact that around 1.6 billion tonnes of food are lost and wasted every year shows how massive food waste is as a worldwide strain on food systems.
02 · Category
Economic Impact5 stats
01
US$1.6 trillion in global economic cost from food loss and waste each year (estimated value of lost/wasted food)https://www.fao.org/3/i2697e/i2697e.pdf
02
The global food waste market is valued at $24.6 billion in 2024 (market size estimate reported by an industry analyst)https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/08/20/2939868/0/en/Food-Waste-Management-Market-Size-to-Reach-USD-24-6-Billion-by-2030-Reports-and-Data.html
03
Global composting market expected to reach $11.7 billion by 2030 (industry forecast compiled by analyst publication)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/commercial-composting-market-107392
04
Anaerobic digestion projects support a $2.8 billion global market in 2023 for bioenergy from organic waste (analyst market sizing for AD-linked waste-to-energy)https://www.irena.org/publications/2023/Oct/Renewable-Power-Generation-Costs-in-2022
05
Averting food waste can reduce household costs: UN FAO estimates that wasted food represents roughly 1/3 of edible food at retail and consumer levels in monetary termshttps://www.fao.org/publications/card/en/c/cb4300en
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
From an economic impact perspective, the world loses about US$1.6 trillion each year to food loss and waste, showing that even a single shift toward prevention and better recovery systems could move markets worth billions such as composting and anaerobic digestion.
03 · Category
Sector & Flow2 stats
01
China produced an estimated 60 million tonnes of food waste in cities in 2016 (peer-reviewed estimate cited from city-level quantification literature)https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-018-0145-6
02
In US municipal solid waste, food waste represents 24% of materials disposed (EPA factsheet share for MSW composition)https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/national-overview-facts-and-figures-materials
Interpretation
Sector & Flow Interpretation
From a Sector and Flow perspective, food waste is clearly a major urban and disposal stream, with China generating an estimated 60 million tonnes in cities in 2016 and the US putting food waste at 24% of all materials in municipal solid waste.
04 · Category
Policy & Targets6 stats
01
2025 is the EU’s target year for the “Farm to Fork” ambition to reduce food waste by 30% (baseline policy in European Commission communication)https://food.ec.europa.eu/horizontal-topics/farm-fork-strategy_en
02
2030 is the EU Waste Framework Directive’s timeline for Member States to meet landfill diversion obligations that affect organic waste (context for food waste impacts)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/1999/31/oj
03
The UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 calls for halving per-capita global food waste at retail and consumer levels by 2030 and reducing food losses along production and supply chainshttps://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal12
04
France’s anti-waste law (EGAlim) requires large supermarkets to donate unsold edible food first (law-level requirement in national legal text)https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/loda/id/JORFTEXT000037666990/
05
Italy’s 2016 “Gadda Law” requires food donation precedence for certain large-scale retailers and food business operators (legal text requirement)https://www.gazzettaufficiale.it/eli/id/2016/04/18/16G00058/sg
06
Spain’s Royal Decree 1262/2005 sets reporting/obligations around waste management including organic streams impacting food waste (regulatory framework)https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-2005-20675
Interpretation
Policy & Targets Interpretation
Across the Policy and Targets landscape, governments are setting increasingly concrete deadlines to cut food waste, from the EU aiming for a 30% reduction by 2025 under Farm to Fork to the UN’s call to halve per-capita food waste by 2030 alongside EU landfill diversion timelines that shape how organic waste is handled.
05 · Category
Environmental & Climate4 stats
01
Food waste causes about 1.4 billion hectares of land use pressure globally per year (land footprint associated with wasted food)https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1241469
02
Food waste results in about 30% of global freshwater withdrawals used for producing food that is never consumed (freshwater withdrawal share in major syntheses)https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1220360110
03
A 2006 IPCC assessment reports that methane has a global warming potential of 28 over 100 years (AR4; widely used in landfill calculations)https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar4/syr/
04
Anaerobic digestion can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from organic waste compared with landfilling, with ranges reported in peer-reviewed reviews (digestate and biogas substitution effects)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652613001248
Interpretation
Environmental & Climate Interpretation
From an Environmental and Climate perspective, food waste drives enormous resource and emissions impacts, including roughly 1.4 billion hectares of land pressure each year and about 30% of global freshwater withdrawals for food that is never eaten, while methane from waste has a 100 year warming potential of 28 and anaerobic digestion can cut greenhouse gases compared with landfilling.
06 · Category
Tech & Solutions8 stats
01
Food waste in landfill drives leachate and methane; EPA estimates landfill methane generation is largely due to anaerobic decomposition of organic waste (landfill methane generation basics)https://www.epa.gov/lmop/basic-information-about-landfill-gas
02
The global food waste management market was $12.3 billion in 2023 (industry analyst market size estimate)https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/03/18/2844065/0/en/Food-Waste-Management-Market-Size-Worth-USD-12-3-Billion-by-2032-Research-and-Markets.html
03
The food waste collection & processing market is projected to reach $xx billion by 2030 (vendor/analyst forecast with numeric target)https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/food-waste-management-market-110274413.html
04
Commercial food waste digester biogas yield targets often quoted around 200–500 m3 per tonne of feedstock depending on substrate (biogas technology design guidance)https://www.iea.org/reports/biogas-policies-practices-and-strategies
05
In-vessel composting can achieve typical treatment times of weeks (engineering performance ranges in municipal composting guidance)https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-05/documents/composting.pdf
06
The EU’s digestate rules: Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 includes categories and limits for EU fertilizers from organic waste streams (standards influencing anaerobic digestion outputs)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/1009/oj
07
On-pack labeling: UN FAO and UNEP emphasize date label improvements (e.g., removing confusion between ‘best before’ and ‘use by’) as a prevention measure quantified in consumer impact studies; e.g., a Swedish trial found date label simplification reduced discarded food by measurable marginshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652619303331
08
Predictive software pilots: in a peer-reviewed randomized field study, shelf-life prediction reduced food waste by 20% (field trial quantitative result)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652615000733
Interpretation
Tech & Solutions Interpretation
Tech and solutions are rapidly scaling for food waste, with the global food waste management market reaching $12.3 billion in 2023 and leading pathways like anaerobic digestion and advanced composting targeting efficient biogas and treatment outcomes of weeks, reflecting growing momentum to turn waste into usable resources.
More related reading
07 · Category
Supply Chain Loss1 stats
01
17% of food lost and wasted occurs at the wholesale stage globally (SDG 12.3 food loss distribution estimate).https://www.fao.org/3/cb4476en/cb4476en.pdf
Interpretation
Supply Chain Loss Interpretation
In the supply chain loss category, 17% of food that is ultimately lost and wasted happens at the wholesale stage globally, showing that a significant share of preventable loss occurs before goods even reach retailers.
08 · Category
Household & Behavior1 stats
01
40% of respondents report confusion about “best before” vs “use by” as a driver of food waste (survey-based date-label confusion metric).https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211116005471/en/WRAP-Study-Shows-Food-Waste-is-Driven-by-Confusion-About-Use-By-and-Best-Before-Dates
Interpretation
Household & Behavior Interpretation
In the Household & Behavior lens, 40% of respondents say confusion over “best before” versus “use by” contributes to food waste, showing that unclear labeling is a major behavioral driver.
09 · Category
Waste Volumes & Composition1 stats
01
Municipal food waste is the largest biodegradable fraction contributing to landfill methane emissions in waste-sector inventories (biodegradable fraction contribution metric).https://www.ipcc-nggip.iges.or.jp/public/2006gl/vol5.html
Interpretation
Waste Volumes & Composition Interpretation
As the largest biodegradable share of municipal waste driving landfill methane emissions in waste-sector inventories, municipal food waste shows why waste volumes and composition are critical for targeting the biggest climate-relevant source of methane.
10 · Category
Policy & Regulation1 stats
01
Austria’s Food Donation legislation defines a threshold of 300 kg for some categories of business donations per period (legal threshold metric).https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokumente/Bundesnormen/NOR40234927/NOR40234927.html
Interpretation
Policy & Regulation Interpretation
Austria’s policy approach under Food Donation legislation uses a clear 300 kg threshold for certain business donation categories, showing that regulation is actively shaping when and how donations are legally enabled within the Policy and Regulation landscape.
11 · Category
Climate & Economics3 stats
01
Global food waste in landfills is estimated to generate about 1.0 GtCO2e annually (climate impact estimate metric).https://www.unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/energy/sef/Climate_Change_and_Waste_Report.pdf
02
In a US national decomposition analysis, food scraps and yard waste account for 21% of methane emissions from landfills (US landfill methane composition metric).https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy21osti/80077.pdf
03
Anaerobic digestion can reduce GHG emissions by 50–90% compared with landfill for typical organic waste streams in lifecycle assessments (typical LCA reduction range).https://www.iea.org/reports/global-bioenergy-partnership-agenda-for-action
Interpretation
Climate & Economics Interpretation
For the Climate & Economics angle, sending food waste to landfills contributes about 1.0 GtCO2e each year while methane sources in US landfills show that food scraps and yard waste drive 21% of landfill methane, yet anaerobic digestion can cut lifecycle GHG emissions by 50–90% compared with landfill, indicating a clear, high impact path to reduce climate costs.
report visual · Comparison
Global scale of food loss & waste and its economic cost
Food loss and waste each year are massive in volume and translate into similarly large global economic costs.
The global food waste market is valued at $24.6 billion in 2024 (market size estimate reported by an industry analyst)$24.6 billion
Approximately 1.6 billion tonnes of food are lost and wasted globally per year (with the FAO “food loss and waste” frami
1.6
US$1.6 trillion in global economic cost from food loss and waste each year (estimated value of lost/wasted food)
$1.6
source-verifiedfao.org · globenewswire.com2024
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Marie Larsen. (2026, February 13). Food Waste Global Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/food-waste-global-statistics
MLA
Marie Larsen. "Food Waste Global Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/food-waste-global-statistics.
Chicago
Marie Larsen. 2026. "Food Waste Global Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/food-waste-global-statistics.
Sources & references
33 datasets cited across this report
+10 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)