Food loss and waste

In pursuit of exposing the stark reality of food waste, popular food writer and chef Refika Birgül took to the garbage dumps of her very own neighborhood of Kuzguncuk in Istanbul.

Delving into the waste, she saw a distressing sight: An array of food, from arugula to quince, still in edible condition cast aside.

In a world brimming with plenty, the silent epidemic of food waste continues to plague both our plates and our planet, with staggering implications for economies, ecosystems, and global equality. As Radina Kaldamukova expertly highlights in her analysis for "Klimateka," the scale of this crisis demands urgent attention and concerted action.

Food waste is a global tragedy at a time when millions of people are going hungry, a UN official says, stressing that food waste is a global tragedy

A new law in France has brought the discussion of best practices for waste management in Istanbul to the agenda.

The law, which came into force as of Jan. 1, made it compulsory for citizens to compost food and plant waste.

Türkiye squanders a staggering 2.2 trillion Turkish liras ($75.5 billion) annually, constituting 15 percent of its national income, according to a report from the Türkiye Waste Prevention Foundation.

The report suggests that this amount could solve the country's housing crisis by constructing 1.3 million homes valued at 1.7 million liras each.

The amount of daily garbage collected in Türkiye's most populous city Istanbul decreased from 18,000 tons to 17,000 tons, as the daily food waste rate experienced a minor 4-percent reduction compared to the previous year, data by a municipal subsidiary has shown.

The traditional breakfast menus offered by many restaurants in Türkiye have caused significant amounts of food waste, resulting in 100 billion Turkish Liras ($3.7 billion) being thrown away annually, local media has reported.

The European Union has put forward a plan to impose binding targets on its 27 member states to slash food waste from households, retailers and restaurants 30 percent this decade.

Brussels estimates the bloc generates almost 59 million tons of food waste a year - or 131 kilograms per person.

That represents a loss of some 132 billion euros ($144 billion).

The Zero Waste Project, which aims to reduce the volume of non-recyclable waste, has achieved an economic gain of 96 billion Turkish Liras ($3.7 billion), Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change Minister Mehmet Özhaseki has said.

European Union countries will be required to rein in food waste this decade under draft EU plans aimed at tackling the 10% of food in Europe that gets thrown away.

An estimated 131 kilograms of food is wasted per European inhabitant each year, the EU has said, costing consumers money, emitting excess carbon dioxide, and squandering energy, fuel and water used in food production.