Food Waste Facts
The numbers that should shock us all
Food waste is one of the most urgent environmental and social crises of our time. Here are the facts.
10M tonnes
of food wasted in South Africa every year — enough to fill over 10 000 Olympic swimming pools.
Source: WRAP / WWF SA
1/3
of all food produced globally for human consumption is lost or wasted — around 1.3 billion tonnes per year.
Source: FAO, 2022
8–10%
of global greenhouse gas emissions are caused by food waste. More than the entire aviation industry combined.
Source: UNEP
R61 billion
is the estimated annual value of food wasted in South Africa — in a country where 1 in 5 households face hunger.
Source: WWF SA
4x
more land than the size of China is used globally to grow food that is never eaten.
Source: FAO
25%
of the world's fresh water supply is used to grow food that ends up wasted.
Source: UNEP
What can you do?
Small actions, massive collective impact
Plan your meals and shop with a list
Store food correctly to make it last longer
Understand "best before" vs "use by" labels
Rescue Surprise Bags through Daily Foodie
Compost food scraps instead of binning them
Cook with what you have before buying more
Take action today
Every Surprise Bag you rescue is food that will not end up in a landfill.