China's Food Losses and Waste Embody Growing Environmental Impacts

Xue, L., Liu, X., Lu, S., etal. China's Food Loss and Waste Embody Growing Environmental Impacts. Nutfood (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00317-6

Commentary

This study will be one that investigates food loss and food consumed.

Food loss and waste (FLW) has been identified as a problem that hinders global food security, human health, and environmental sustainability. However, monitoring and benchmarking of FLW reduction is often constrained by a lack of reliable and consistent data, especially when targeting emerging economies.

The study will use six years of extensive field research and literature data to quantify the FLW of key agricultural commodities along the entire farm-to-fork chain in China.

It showed that 27% (349 ± 4 Mt) of the food produced each year for human consumption in the country is either lost or wasted. Forty-five percent of this is related to post-harvest handling and storage, and 13% is related to non-domestic consumption activities.

It also shows that the land, water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus footprints associated with total FLW are similar to those of medium-sized countries (e.g., the UK for carbon footprints).

Since this is the case in China, where food is no longer a global problem and where 1/7 of the world's population lives, we may see a different situation in other countries if we adjust for the wealth and population of the country.