Environmental implications of global food loss and waste with a glimpse on the Mediterranean region

Food loss and waste (FLW) is one of the most critical challenges humanity faces in the Anthropocene era, with major environmental impacts both at the local and global levels. FLW is related to two direct environmental impacts, (i) depletion of resources used to produce food that is wasted, and (ii) negative impacts on the environment, including climate change. Indirect impacts of FLW include ecosystem disruption, deforestation, and biodiversity loss, as well as water pollution and land degradation due to useless intensification of production through high application rates of fertilisers and pesticides. The current food production systems in the Mediterranean area face four main environmental challenges: land degradation, water scarcity, climate change, and biodiversity loss; but published research in scholarly literature is limited. The per capita ecological footprint has increased in the Mediterranean countries over the last decades while biocapacity has decreased, thus increasing the ecological debt of the region. Mediterranean countries are also large contributors of around 4.4 Gt CO2 eq. per annum of the carbon footprint of food wastage, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Considering water footprint, a conservative percentage of 30% of water wastage occurs when food is wasted by the Mediterranean people. To address the FLW challenge, Mediterranean countries must adopt and implement systematically monitored strategies for FLW prevention or reduction. In this context, (i) current knowledge and available technologies (e.g., infrastructure in storage and transport) must be exploited, (ii) development of novel technology must be supported, and (iii) market reforms must be implemented. Concurrently, awareness-raising campaigns and productive recycling of surplus food are required for reducing FLW by consumers and the food service sector.