United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Director-General José Graziano da Silva said during the Global Green Growth Forum (3GF) spearheaded by World Resources Institute (WRI)held last month that an estimated one third of the food produced for consumptions is put to waste. If this figure is given a monetary value, then the world is losing around $750 billion annually.
This is one of the reasons why UN FAO has called for measure to cut global food loss and waste. According to the organization, it is an important way to end global hunger.
"If we reduce food loss and waste to zero it would give us additional food to feed 2 billion people," Graziano da Silva said. "One of my priorities in FAO is opening our doors to potential allies. Fighting food loss and waste is clearly one area in which partnership is needed. Developing a global protocol can help provide clear measurements and indicators on which we can base guidance on how to reduce food loss and waste," he added.
To address this concern in the microlevel, Dawson launched the Rubies in the Rubble to help cut down on waste. According to Forbes, the company is a social enterprise wherein "farmers and pack houses pick up fruit and vegetables that fail aesthetic standards or are in excess. Coming with such an idea is a result of her realization hat reducing food waste worldwide is crucial.
Meanwhile, Dan Williams, chief operating officer at Three Square food bank, believes that hunger can be cured. "When you talk about getting food to food-insecure people, the first question you ask is if there is enough food. The answer is a resounding, 'Yes.'"
"We grow, manufacture or produce 40 percent more food than we consume as a nation," Williams said.
In 2014, FAO has estimated that 805 million people in the world do not have enough to eat every day, while one in nine go to bed hungry each night.
