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$4 billion worth of food is wasted annually in Pakistan: Report

Ministry of National Food Security and Research in its report says 26% of the country’s food production is wasted yearly

Published: Tue 2 May 2023, 3:49 PM

Updated: Tue 2 May 2023, 4:04 PM

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People eat breakfast at a food street of Gawalmandi, an old area of Lahore, Pakistan. — AP file

People eat breakfast at a food street of Gawalmandi, an old area of Lahore, Pakistan. — AP file

Pakistan’s Ministry of National Food Security and Research has revealed that food worth $4 billion is wasted in the country annually, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

According to the ministry’s report, 26 per cent of Pakistan’s food production i.e., 19.6 million tonnes is wasted yearly.

The report further revealed that most food items are wasted for not meeting the criteria of appearance, size and colour despite the steps to ensure food security.

The majority of food items are excluded from the supply line and wasted for various reasons, the report of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research says, according to ARY News.

The report also highlighted that majority of food items stored in kitchens are also wasted annually after the expiry date.

The wastage of food also represents an economic loss for Pakistan.

Despite being an agricultural country, Pakistan is facing a shortage of food items, especially after the recent floods and heavy rain.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier directed to expedite the implementation of the Kissan Package.

He was chairing a review meeting on the historic Kissan Package given by the government for the development of the agricultural sector, in Islamabad.

The prime minister said that we have to ensure food security in Pakistan at all costs. He said the development of the agriculture sector is the guarantor of food security in Pakistan, according to ARY News.

According to a report in the journal PLOS ONE published in 2018, Americans waste nearly 150,000 tonnes of food per day, amounting to about one pound (422 grammes) per person, and fruits and vegetables are mostly what gets tossed. “Food waste is an issue that plays out at many different levels,” said lead author Zach Conrad at the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service in North Dakota.

“Looking at them holistically will become increasingly important to finding sustainable ways of meeting the needs of a growing world population.”

According to the World Food Programme, one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally. This amounts to about 1.3 billion tons per year, worth approximately $1 trillion. All the food produced but never eaten would be sufficient to feed two billion people, it stated.



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