Report: Half the World’s Food Wasted

Half the world’s food, up to 2 billion tons, is “just thrown away,” according to study released Thursday. Four billion tons of food is produced each year, but between 30 percent and 50 percent of it is never eaten, partially due to factors such as poor infrastructure and storage facilities, strict expiration dates, “get one free” offers, and, lastly, consumer fussiness. Half the food in Europe and the U.S. is thrown away after it is bought. Meanwhile, the study said, the demand for water in food production could reach 10 million to 13 million cubic meters a year by 2050—more than triple the amount of fresh water used by humans today.