Based on statista.com, food waste is a global issue that is indisputable around the world. In Greece and China, both countries’ residents waste about 44 kilograms of food per capita annually, and in contrast, in Australia and the United States, per capita, food waste reached 361 kilograms and 278 kilograms per year, respectively.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are the most common types of food that are thrown into the garbage. Here are the five countries in the world that throw the most food wastage.
1. Denmark
Denmark is one of the countries in Europe which is famous for the luxurious lifestyle of its people. Their government provides transportation facilities to ensure health.
But Denmark has a bad record when it comes to food waste. According to the data, at least every person in Denmark disposes of 660 kilograms of food each year. Most food waste comes from restaurants, cafes, catering, and homes.
2. Netherlands
Just like Denmark, the Netherlands is also among the most food-wasting countries in the world. The economy in the Netherlands includes restaurants, cafes, catering and it is the cause of the accumulation of food waste.
At least, 610 kilograms of food waste produced by each person every year. There are several initiatives or movements from the Dutch government to overcome this problem.
One of them is by increasing public awareness about the importance of saving food and minimizing food waste.
3. United States
Among countries in Europe, there is the United States of America (USA) whose food waste production is very high. The US has always been known as one of the countries that produce the most food in the world.
As a result, there are more than 150 thousand tons of food that is thrown away in America every day. But it all went hand in hand with the food thrown away there. Even from the available data, at least this discarded food value is fantastic, reaching an average of 48.3 million US dollars.
In addition, 50 percent of the food thrown away comes from agricultural products such as corn, sugar cane, various vegetables, to fruits. This is inseparable from the very high amount of food production there.
4. Canada
Canada is known as one of the safest and most comfortable countries in the world. But apparently Canada is also not immune to the problem of food waste that has accumulated. According to the data, at least every person throws away 640 kilograms of food every year. Of all cities in Canada, Toronto ranks first as the city that produces the most food waste every year. Through data from the Love Food Hate Waste, there are more than 2.2 million tons of edible food that ends up in the trash.
5. Norway
Norway is the safest country in the world because it has guaranteed health and hygiene facilities. The country is also quite modern, but unfortunately it still often disposes of large amounts of food.
From data compiled from Visit Norway, there are more than 350 thousand tons of food that is thrown away not including food waste generated from restaurants and cafes. To reduce food waste, the food industry in Norway is starting to limit its use.
They even have a mission to reduce food waste in the country by 20 percent in 2020. Some organizations have also begun to encourage restaurants and hotels to switch to environmentally friendly materials to distribute leftovers to those who need them more.
Sources: Silicon India