Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
ROME (AP) — The United Nations' food agency says around 14% of the food produced globally is lost and is urging action to address the causes of food loss as part of efforts to protect the environment.
In a report Monday, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) stressed the need to reduce food loss as "firmly embedded in the 2030 agenda for sustainable development."
However, it noted that a combination of causes — including harvesting and handling practices, a lack of infrastructure, agricultural blights and climatic conditions — keep fueling large food losses around the world.
FAO said its estimates focus on losses between harvest and markets. It said Central and Southern Asia have the highest levels of food losses at over 20%, followed by North America and Europe at more than 15%.
Food is also wasted at the retail and consumer levels.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.