At Bio Collectors, we’re passionately committed to addressing a critical global issue that impacts our planet and its people: food waste. Alarmingly, over a billion meals are discarded every day across the globe, in both affluent and impoverished nations, despite the fact that more than 730 million people face hunger. According to the UN Food Waste Index report, approximately 20% of all food is squandered due to reasons ranging from excess and poor planning to challenges in refrigeration and storage, culminating in a staggering global cost of about $1 trillion annually.

The majority of food waste, around 60%, originates from households, with an additional significant portion contributed by the commercial food sector: food services account for 28% of waste, while retail contributes about 12%. This is in addition to the 13% of food lost in the supply chain, from harvest to market, often due to rejection or spoilage of perfectly edible food.

This wastage is not just a lost opportunity to feed the hungry; it’s a direct assault on our natural resources and a significant driver of climate change and biodiversity loss, accounting for nearly 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions. This is exacerbated by the fact that over a quarter of the world’s farmland is used to produce food that never reaches our plates.

The UN Environment Programme, in collaboration with the UK’s Waste and Resources Action Programme (Wrap), highlights this issue as a “global tragedy”. This crisis is juxtaposed with the harsh reality that one-third of the global population faces food insecurity, uncertain of where their next meal will come from.

Despite the gravity of the situation, few countries have concrete plans to curb food waste, and many overlook it in their climate action strategies. However, reliable data from over 100 countries now confirms that food waste is a pervasive issue worldwide, disproportionately affecting hotter countries due to faster spoilage rates and limited access to refrigeration.

The challenge extends across all economic tiers, with poorer households discarding food at rates comparable to their wealthier counterparts, influenced by factors such as inadequate storage, reliance on lower-quality food, and limited time for meal preparation.

At Bio Collectors, we echo Wrap’s call for global, National, Regional & local coordinated action to address this crisis. We believe in the power of collaboration across sectors to tackle food security, climate impact, and financial strain caused by food waste. Our approach harnesses the potential of anaerobic digestion (AD) technology to transform food waste into renewable energy and biofertilisers, emphasising the importance of sustainable practices and community-led solutions in building resilient food systems.

Craig Gregory, Managing Director of Bio Collectors, stresses the importance of rethinking our relationship with food waste: “In a world where hunger and environmental degradation persist, it is unconscionable to continue to waste such vast amounts of food. At Bio Collectors, we’re dedicated to turning this problem into a solution, not only by converting waste into energy but by leading the way in promoting sustainable food system practices that benefit us all. It’s about creating a circular economy where food waste becomes a resource rather than a problem.”

We are inspired by initiatives around the world, such as the UK government’s commitment to funding weekly food waste collections to prevent landfill contributions and encourage habit reform. This, alongside the growing network of food banks and producers working to minimise waste and address hunger, underscores the need for continued investment in innovative solutions like ours.

At Bio Collectors, we are committed to advancing these efforts, turning today’s waste into tomorrow’s resources, and fostering a more sustainable, nourishing future for our planet and its people.

You Can read more about the UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024 here