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Waste food in China

Analyze:

In China, about 70% of all waste and 61% of household waste is food scraps. Researchers from China Agricultural University studied data from 2010 to 2012 and found that edible food thrown out by restaurants each year is equivalent to nearly 10% of the country’s annual crop production, or enough to feed 200 million people.

Research:

A newly released study on food waste within the People’s Republic of China finds roughly 19 pounds of every 100 pounds of grain produced are wasted — which ultimately means water resources are being wasted as well.

Although food waste is a problem worldwide, the issue is particularly challenging for China. The nation has 21% of the world’s population, but only 6% of the world’s total water resources.

The Beijing Forestry University researchers, with the help of Sweden’s Stockholm International Water Institute, aimed todocument loss and waste of food to provide a basis for development of sustainability policies.