The global food production system occupy 25 percent of all habitable land and accounts for 70 percent of fresh water consumption and 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. But ironically, an estimated one-third of all food produced - an astonishing 1.3 billion tons, worth nearly $1 trillion, rots each year in the bins of consumers and retailers or is otherwise spoiled because of poor transportation and harvesting practices.
This was stated by federal Secretary of the Ministry of Climate Change Syed Muhammad Ali Gardezi, while addressing a function held in connection with the World Environment Day here on Wednesday. Gardezi said that aside from moral implications of such wastage in a world where almost 900 million people go hungry every day, unconsumed food waste energy put into growing it and fuel spent on transporting the produce.
"Added to this, significant amounts of greenhouse gas methane emanate from food decomposing on landfills, while livestock and forests cleared for food production also contribute to global warming - for example, agriculture and land-use changes such as deforestation account for over 30 per cent of total global greenhouse gas emissions," he claimed.
Stressing the need for greater public awareness, he said that all stakeholders, including environmentalists, policymakers, people and the media should realise the grim realities of food wastages and encourage everyone to play their due role in cut down wastage and increase food access to people who still go hungry, he maintained.
The World Environment Day 2013 is focused on the new UN Environment Programme and UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) campaign 'Think. Eat. Save. Reduce Your Food Print', aimed at reducing wastage. "The Ministry of Climate Change has a mandate of developing the policies and plans for the environmental protection and preservation. Ministry is focal point for the subject of environment for Pakistan and runs different environment related project, programmes and events in collaboration with other organisations," he said. Other speakers highlighted the need for storing food for longer periods of time.