Which countries waste the most food, and how to reduce waste at home
A new report highlights that over a billion tonnes of food are wasted annually while hundreds of millions of people face hunger. The article provides context on global hunger trends and the importance of World Food Day in addressing food system inefficiencies.
Why it matters
Addressing food waste is critical for global food security and environmental sustainability as populations grow.
This World Food Day, 645 million people are going hungry, yet more than a billion tonnes of food is wasted annually.
x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info [Al Jazeera] By Marium Ali and Mohamed Hussein Published On 16 Oct 2026 16 Oct 2026 For every five plates of food served around the world, roughly one ends up in the bin. That adds up to more than a billion tonnes of food a year.
Meanwhile, 645 million people, about one in 13 of the world’s population, went hungry in 2025, according to the UN.
That gap is the focus of World Food Day on October 16, the annual UN observance marking the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 1945. This year’s theme, “Innovate today, nourish tomorrow”, calls for food systems that feed more people and waste less.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in