A new report published by the United Nations says more needs to be done to tackle the issue of food waste after it found that global consumer food waste could be up to double the size of previous estimates.

The UNEP Food Waste Index 2021, published by the United Nations and co-written by the sustainable resource body WRAP, says in 2019, 931 million tonnes of food were discarded globally – the equivalent of 3.5 million fully loaded 26-tonne trucks.

The Index is an international report into global food waste in homes, the foodservice sector and retail, taking data from 54 countries.

It found that the amount of waste per capita is similar across high-income, upper middle-income and lower middle-income countries, with insufficient data to reach firm conclusions on low-income countries. It adds that global consumer food waste could be up to twice the size of previous figures.

“Countries need to start with better measuring and then follow the UK’s Target / Measure / Act example to tackle food waste head on.”

The report also looked into global food poverty and found that almost 700 million people are already affected by hunger, and three billion people globally are unable to afford a healthy diet.

Surplus food and drink retailer, Approved Foods, is now backing calls for global action to prevent food waste. Managing director, Andy Needham, said: “Food is being wasted, yet people are hungry.

“This cannot be allowed to continue. Food waste is a huge global issue – and the UNEP report shows it’s far more than a first world problem.

“Countries need to start with better measuring and then follow the UK’s Target / Measure / Act example to tackle food waste head on. Better education for consumers is then needed to tackle food waste in the home. Even something as simple as rewording ‘best before’ dates to make it clear that food is still safe to eat beyond that date can prevent food and drink being needlessly thrown away.”