Mexico’s 20M Tons of Food Waste Crisis

Mexico City — Approximately 20.4 million tons of food are lost each year in Mexico, equivalent to 34 percent of the national production, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has warned.

In observance of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, which was commemorated this past Monday, the organization stated that this volume represents an economic cost exceeding 400 billion pesos.

Furthermore, it indicated, this loss implies the unnecessary generation of greenhouse gas emissions amounting to 36 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent and the waste of 40 percent of the water allocated for agriculture, in a country facing severe water stress.

Meanwhile, the FAO alerted, 27.5 million people live with food insecurity in Mexico.

The FAO and various federal agencies and agencies of Mexico City participated on Monday in the colloquium “Harvesting Responsibility, Sharing a Future,” held at the Central de Abasto (Ceda) market.

Lina Pohl, Representative of the FAO in Mexico, underscored the urgency of reducing food loss and waste.

“Reducing losses and waste is not optional: it is key to guaranteeing the right to food and advancing towards a sustainable future. We cannot accept the paradox that, while millions suffer from hunger, tons of food are thrown away every day,” she stated.

Daniel Aceves, Director of Public Health Policies for the Ministry of Health, announced that the Regulations for the General Law on Adequate and Sustainable Food are soon to be published, which establishes commitments and obligations regarding the reduction of food loss and waste.

Mónica Pacheco, General Coordinator of the Ceda, considered that, as the largest wholesale market in Latin America, the Central represents a space of opportunity to develop better waste management practices.

Each day, she detailed, the market mobilizes more than 120,000 tons of food and generates close to 438 tons of solid waste, of which almost 60 percent is organic. It is estimated that around 100 tons of usable food are lost daily.

The CEDA, Pacheco noted, has launched initiatives such as the Centro Itacate, which since 2020 has recovered more than 400 tons of fruits and vegetables, benefiting 1.8 million people through community kitchens and shelters.

“The CEDA is fundamental for the food supply of millions of families in the capital. Every food item we rescue and that the vendors facilitate us is more food on the table for those who need it most. The Itacate program demonstrates that there are indeed solutions,” she pointed out.