September 29. International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste

1.05 billion tonnes of food wasted worldwide in 2022. 783 million people went hungry the same year.

The United Nations General Assembly adopted this day in 2019 to get the world serious about food waste, supporting Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3: halve global food waste per person by 2030.

19% + 13%

Of all food available to consumers is wasted at retail, food service, and household level, plus more lost earlier in the supply chain.

631M tonnes

Of that waste comes from households alone, roughly 60% of the total.

79 kg

Wasted per person a year, about 1.3 meals a day for every person on earth living with hunger.

Why This Day Exists

The UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 74/209 on December 19, 2019, establishing September 29 as the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. It's tied directly to SDG Target 12.3, the global goal to cut food waste per person in half by 2030. The numbers behind it are staggering: 1.05 billion tonnes of food went to waste worldwide in 2022, even as 783 million people went hungry that same year.

Why This Day Matters To Me

I was surprised there's even a day for this. I always feel bad when food gets thrown out. My own practices: I share extra food with other people when I can, I try to only cook what I believe will actually get eaten, and I freeze leftovers rather than tossing them.

Why would God keep blessing me with more if I'm not being responsible with what I already have.

That's why I try not to waste what I cook.

What We Can Do

Cook what you actually expect to eat. Share the extra with other people when you can. Freeze what's left instead of tossing it. Small, but it adds up.

UNEP Food Waste Index

The UN Environment Programme's ongoing measurement of global food waste, published annually with WRAP.

↗ unep.org

USDA Food Loss and Waste

Federal data and reduction initiatives on food loss and waste in the U.S.

↗ usda.gov/foodlossandwaste

Feeding America

The nation's largest hunger-relief organization, connecting surplus food to people who need it.

↗ feedingamerica.org

Sources: UN Environment Programme Food Waste Index Report 2024 with WRAP (published March 2024); UN Resolution 74/209.