Food waste problem even bigger than we thought

Fruit peel, vegetable scrap and food waste are thrown into this mix to create compost, also known as Black Gold -AZMAN GHANI/The Star

MORE than 2 billion tons of food goes uneaten around the world, almost double than previously thought, according to a new report.

An estimated 2.5 billion tons of food was lost on farms or wasted by retailers or consumers globally, accounting for about 40% of production, according to research by World Wildlife Fund and U.K. retailer Tesco Plc. The figure tops the previous estimates by about 1.2 billion tons, with farming in wealthier countries being a bigger offender than assumed, they said in a report.