Food loss and waste in New Zealand: a baseline estimate

Globally, it is reported that 30-40% of food is lost or wasted somewhere along the food supply chain (1) . As a member state of the United Nations, New Zealand has a commitment to Sustainable Development Target 12.3 “to halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses” by 2030. In order to track progress against this target, an estimate of the total amount of food loss and waste (FLW) is required. There is no globally accepted definition of FLW which makes comparisons across countries difficult and explains why per capita FLW vary across countries: total FLW is 312 kg/person/year in Australia (2) , 111 kg/person/year in the UK (3) , and 132 kg/person/year in the European Union (3) . In 2023, the Ministry for the Environment developed the first definition of FLW in New Zealand as “ imported or domestically produced food and drink, including inedible parts, which leave the food supply chain from the point that crops and livestock are ready for harvest or slaughter onwards to the point of consumption, to be recycled, recovered or disposed of in Aotearoa New Zealand”. Following this, in 2024, the Ministry for the Environment commissioned the first baseline study of FLW across the food supply chain, as outlined here. The methodological approach for this study was similar to Australia (2) , which used a mass balance approach for key food commodities. For example, apples can be consumed as fresh fruit or turned into other foods such as apple juice, while wheat is milled and used to make bread or pasta. The study identified 61 of the most commonly consumed food commodities in New Zealand. Data for any 12-month period between 2015-2022 were obtained from a range of sources including industry reports, government and non-governmental publications, scientific articles, interviews, and FAOSTAT food balances. Six stages of the supply chain were included: primary production (i.e., on farm), processing, wholesale/retail, transport, institutions, hospitality, and household. Of the ~ 30 million tonnes of available food, about 2.3 million tonnes is lost or wasted or 237 kg/person/year. However, there were many data gaps, particularly at primary production, processing, institutions and no data for transport. The majority of FLW occurred at primary production, followed by households, and then processing. Household food waste was 70 kg/person/year, which is comparable to the UK and EU. As a proportion of available food, FLW is lower in New Zealand than the global average; however, the waste of thousands of tonnes of edible food comes with substantial economic, environmental and social costs.