Global Action Drive For Food Loss and Waste Reduction

Countries are missing a golden opportunity to tackle greenhouse gas emissions and increase security of food supplies to their citizens by preventing food loss and waste. 

The world wastes over 1 billion tonnes of food waste - one fifth of all food available to consumers at the retail, food service and household level annually. This is in addition to 13 per cent lost in the supply chain, according to the FAO.

Our new report shows that of the 195 countries attending COP29, only 24 are committed to reducing food loss and/or waste, while 88% of countries attending COP29 have made no commitments to address either so far in their NDC's.

As a member of the Global Action Drive group (GAD), WRAP and its partners are calling on all countries to take the following steps: 

1. Commit to delivering UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 to halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.
2. Include this commitment in their new NDCs to be submitted by early 2025.
3. Set meaningful targets and intersectoral mechanisms to operationalise follow up.
4. Back this commitment with specific practical policy measures.
5. Start measuring and reporting on food loss and waste (at national / sector level.)
6. Include solid national data to report on progress through the biennial transparency reports.

What is the Global Action Drive?

Formed in 2024, the Global Action Drive (GAD) brings together internationally active non-governmental organizations around a shared agenda to accelerate regional and national action on food loss and waste and provide support to existing initiatives - in particular the Champions 12.3 Coalition.

Organisations under GAD include; WRAP, the World Resources Institute, WWF, ReFED, NDC Partnership, UN Sustainable Solutions Network. 

The summary report informed by this report can be found below.

We gratefully acknowledge funding from the Robertson Foundation to produce this report.