Too much food is thrown away
Keystone / R4182/_andrea Warnecke
Food that is thrown away every year - approximately 2.8 million tonnes in 2017 - is responsible for one quarter of Switzerland’s food-related carbon footprint, and costs households over CHF5 billion ($5 billion), a study shows.
According to the authors, 2.8 million tonnes of food waste was recorded across all stages of the Swiss food chain in 2017. This is the equivalent of 330 kg of avoidable food waste per person per year, or 37% of agricultural production (i.e. food produced in Switzerland and abroad for consumption in Switzerland).
Annual food waste corresponds to 25% of Switzerland’s entire nutrition‐related footprint, the report said. The researchers estimate its impact at just under half a tonne of CO2 equivalent per person per year.
Just over half (52%) of the environmental impact of food waste is caused by households and catering, 27% by the processing industry, 8% by trade and 13% by food production, mainly abroad.
Thrown away food is also a huge waste of money: CHF600 per inhabitant annually, or over CHF5 billion, the researchers calculated.
Bread, cheese, beef and fresh veg
The study analysed 25 categories of food to determine the greatest areas of wastage and their environmental impact. It found that bread and bakery products, cheese (especially the by‐product whey), beef and fresh vegetables were most problematic in this regard.
“The more food is thrown away at the end of the production and marketing chain, the greater the environmental impact,” said FOEN. “The resources consumed are more numerous then and more emissions have been produced for transport, processing, storage, packaging and preparation.”
A United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) calls for the halving per capita of global food waste at retail and consumer levels and for the reduction of food losses in agriculture, trade and the processing industry by 2030.
If Switzerland manages to achieve this goal it could reduce the nationwide environmental impact of avoidable food losses by 39–61%, cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 190–290 kg of CO2 equivalent per person, the study found.
More
More
Fighting food waste
This content was published on
A Swiss app fighting food waste has convinced big supermarkets and shops to put their products online at bargain prices at closing time. However, catering only accounts for 5% of the food being annually discarded in Switzerland; households account for nearly half of it.
Swiss price watchdog slams excessive prices for generic medicines
This content was published on
The cheapest generic medicines available in Switzerland are more than twice as expensive as in other countries, according to a study by the Swiss price watchdog.
Nature should not figure in net zero calculations: academic study
This content was published on
The natural removal of CO2 from the atmosphere by forests or oceans should not be included in the net-zero balance of climate protection measures, argue researchers.
This content was published on
None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.
This content was published on
Nestlé's new CEO Laurent Freixe, has presented plans for the future of the world's largest food company, after his first few weeks in office.
Swiss foreign minister calls on Moscow to end Ukraine war
This content was published on
It's high time Moscow ended its war against Ukraine, Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis tells the UN Security Council.
This content was published on
The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.
Study reveals food culture differences between Switzerland and neighbours
This content was published on
Three-quarters of Swiss people consider eating to be a pleasurable, social activity, a new survey reveals. Healthy eating, however, plays a much less important role, it found.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Households are the biggest sources of Swiss food waste
This content was published on
A total of 2.6 million tonnes of food waste is produced in Switzerland each year, the federal environment office has reported.
This content was published on
A Swiss agrotech start-up has declared war on food waste with the development of a natural product that fights pathogenic fungi.
This content was published on
Zero waste is about not wasting food and resources and avoiding plastic packaging if possible. We visited a zero-waste shop in Bern to find out more.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.