One third of all food produced globally goes to waste
By understanding the problem and making conscious decisions we can change that, and reduce the CO2 emissions caused as a result of this waste.
10 billion tonnes
of food is produced annually
- 20% of dairy products are wasted
- 35% of fish and seafood are wasted
- 45% of fresh produce is wasted
- 20% of meat products are wasted
- The average European wastes 173kg of food every year
- The average European household throws away £1800 in food annually
*Food waste simply refers to any edible food that ends up in the bin. It can be thrown away by farms, shops, restaurants, or in your home. Food waste also happens as a result of industry standards. Producers assume that people will only buy the most 'normal' looking products. As a result, they throw away the 'imperfect' ones before they even reach you on supermarket shelves.
3 wasted meals equals the same amount of CO2 emissions as
driving for a full day
newly produced cotton t-shirt
avocado transported from Mexico
airplane flight
Origin, transportation and packaging is negligible in comparison
Food transport accounts for an extremely small proportion of emissions in the food industry. In fact, only about 5% of the food's total carbon dioxide emissions come from transport. For meat on its own, transport accounts for far below 1% of total carbon dioxide emissions.
What you eat and how much you throw away has a much greater impact on the environment than origin, how the food is transported or packaged.
Did you know?
Saving food from being wasted, is environmentally smarter than eliminating cars and flights
100 rescued bananas equal as much greenhouse gas emissions as 20 cars
Not all plastic is bad! Plastic-packed food can often result in the food being kept edible for longer and not wasted
Nuts have a positive impact on greenhouse gas emissions - trees bind carbon dioxide
Stupid reasons for food waste
4 tips to reduce your food waste
Plan your meals ahead of going shopping. Review what you already have at home, and then what you need. When you shop with a thought out list you decrease the risk of food waste occurring
Storing all your food correctly will extend the life of your produce. Things to keep in the fridge: carrots, mushrooms, cucumbers, strawberries, leeks, lettuce & mature avocados. Things to keep out of the fridge: potatoes, lemons, apples, tomatoes, garlic, onions & aubergines
Smell and taste, before you waste. Did you know that 'best before' is a guideline and not a rule? You're not alone, 53% of people don't realise. Plus, plastic isn't always the enemy. Sometimes plastic-packaged food can actually be an environmentally smart move, to keep products lasting longer. To be remembered!
Another 10 ways to reduce food waste
“A great share of all greenhouse gas emissions comes from food waste. Production of food has a significantly greater impact compared to the packaging it comes in. Research shows that smaller packages make environmental sense if the smaller size results in the food being eaten”
Helén WilliamsProfessor in environmental and energy systems
“In fact, the packaging accounts for less than 10% of the environmental impact in the food industry, more packaging material can actually be better for the environment if it reduces food waste”
Ann LorentzonProject manager RISETogether, we’re
making an impact
1,200
tonnes of food rescued
4M+
meals saved
1,800
tonnes of CO2 saved
What you and Karma together rescued so far equals
Assuming average person’s diet is 2000 kcal per day, divided over three meals:
- High meat eater: 2.4 kg CO2 per meal
- Low meat eater: 1.6 kg CO2 per meal (used in our calculations)
- Vegetarian: 1.3 kg CO2 per meal
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4372775/
The average passenger vehicle emits about 252 grams of CO2 per 1 km: https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passenger-vehicle
Emissions of 100 gram per passenger kilometre for large jet airplanes, and 134 kg CO2 per hour for a plane flying at 850 km per hour: https://www.carbonindependent.org/22.html
Food 26% of total global emission: https://ourworldindata.org/food-ghg-emissions
Airplanes 2% of total global emission: https://www.naturskyddsforeningen.se/flygfaq
Emissions per food category (CO2 per kg food produced): https://ourworldindata.org/food-ghg-emissions
Transport, packaging vs eating local: https://ourworldindata.org/food-choice-vs-eating-local
Emissions of a organic t-shirt is around 4 kg CO2: https://fairware.com/the-carbon-footprint-of-a-t-shirt/