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FAO, October 2019

In 2011, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated that 30 percent of food is lost or wasted globally. The FAO is now in the process of replacing that figure with two Sustainable Development Goal indices that more precisely account for how much food is lost from the farm up to retailers and how much is wasted by consumers or retailers. The 2019 State of Food and Agriculture report includes early estimates using these indices and also analyzes how to address food loss and waste taking into account geography, production vs. consumption, and supply chains.