A new report from the United Nations says that over a billion tons of food are thrown away every year, while a third of the planet's population faces food insecurity.

Released on March 26, the U.N. Food Waste Index report, based on data from 2022, estimates that roughly a fifth of food is wasted at the food service, retail, and household level, thanks in large part to lack of access to storage and refrigeration. 

That's on top of the 13% of the world's food lost in the supply chain between harvest and market, due to spoilage or rejection of edible food. 

A majority of the world's food waste comes from households, accounting for roughly 60% of the billion tons thrown away in 2022. Food services made up 28% of that total, while retail was responsible for 12%. 

Food waste also comes with consequences related to climate change, generating 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The report points out that this waste is occurring while 783 million people are going hungry, with a third of the planet's population facing food insecurity.