Italy is ranked first in the world in the fight against food waste.
This is confirmed by FSI, Food Sustainability Index 2021, study developed by The Economist with Barilla Foundation, which analyzes the food-health-environment relationship in 78 countries using 38 indicators.
In Italy, it is estimated that annual per capita food waste at household level is around 67 kg, in the restaurant sector it is 26 kg, while in distribution it is 4 kg, the lowest value recorded among countries analyzed by the index.
“Italy can be taken as a reference in the fight against food waste, a problem that affects a third of the food produced globally”, says the research director at Barilla Foundation, Marta Antonelli.
Thanks to the strategies and policies implemented to combat the phenomenon. Among them is the Gadda Law which facilitated, also through tax benefits, the donation of surplus food to non-profit organizations, which increased by 21% in the first year of its entry into force. A regulatory intervention recognized as one of the best practices worldwide.
Among the other parameters highlighted by the index, Italy performed well in terms of quality and life expectancy at European level and the low level of malnutrition or child malnutrition.
Although the food waste is a global problem, less than a third (28%) of the countries analyzed show that they have a dedicated strategy.
In this context, the five countries with the best policies in force are Italy, France, the United States, Germany and Argentina.
Globally, food losses among the top 19 rankings do not exceed 3% of total food production, compared to the overall average of 6%.
Household food waste is also below average (85 kg of food wasted per capita per year) in almost 40 FSI countries, according to Corriere.
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