We all need to be more aware about the importance of food loss because we are wasting not only food but also resources, and it is necessary to promote global efforts towards resolving this problem. The International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste was adopted in 2019 at the 74^th United Nations General Assembly (Resolution A/RES/74/209) and its main purpose is to recognize and stress the importance of sustainable food production in promoting food security and nutrition.

Cutting food loss and waste it also reduces poverty and hunger and fights climate change. In terms of climate change it must be stressed food loss and waste are responsible and account for approximately 7% of the entire greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Another important data to report is that nearly 30% of the world’s agricultural land is currently occupied, and many resources (i.e. water) used to produce food that is ultimately never consumed.

Even today, the number of people suffering from hunger is increasing. Unfortunately, tons of edible food are lost and/or wasted every day: when food is lost or wasted, all the resources that have been used to produce this food like for example water, land, energy, are wasted too.

Reducing food loss and waste requires the attention and the action of everyone, not only actions at the global level (see SDG 2, “Zero Hunger”) but also at local level to maximize the use of the food we produce, and naturally of every subject involved in the food supply chain, from food producers to retailers and end consumers.