Buying 'funny fruit' will help feed the world, UN says

The UNEP, FAO and partners unveiled a campaign dubbed "Think-Eat-Save Reduce Your Foodprint" to change global practices that result in the loss of 1.3 billion tonnes of food each year.

The programme is aimed primarily at consumers, food retailers and the hotel and restaurant industry, and is based on three recommended actions, think, eat, and save.

"In a world of seven billion people, set to grow to nine billion by 2050, wasting food makes no sense economically, environmentally and ethically," a statement quoted UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner as saying.

FAO Director General Jose Graziano da Silva pointed out that in industrialised nations, around 300 tonnes of food are wasted each year, "because producers, retailers and consumers discard food that is still fit for consumption."

That is more food than is produced in sub-Saharan Africa, and is enough to feed the estimated 830 million people who now go hungry worldwide, he added.

The programme estimates the overall cost of wasted food at about USD 1.0 trillion per year, with most losses occuring in production stages such as harvesting, processing and distribution.

Consumers can participate in a global effort by respecting a few simple recommendations, the agencies said.

Planning meals, making shopping lists and avoiding impulse buying helps, as does staying alert "to marketing tricks that lead you to buy more food than you need."

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