United Nations Environment Programme reports that more than 3 billion people can’t afford a healthy diet globally.
The UNEP also informed in a statement that lack of effective refrigeration directly results in the loss of 526 million tons of food production, or 12 per cent of the global total.
Developing countries could save 144 million tonnes of food annually if they reached the same level of food cold chain infrastructure as developed countries, according to the statement.
As food insecurity and global warming rise, governments, international development partners and industry should invest in sustainable food cold chains to decrease hunger, provide livelihoods to communities, and adapt to climate change, the UN said today.
Launched today at the 27th Climate Change Conference, the Sustainable Food Cold Chains report, from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), finds that food cold chains are critical to meeting the challenge of feeding an additional two billion people by 2050 and harnessing rural communities’ resilience, while avoiding increased greenhouse gas emissions.
The report was developed in the framework of the UNEP-led Cool Coalition in partnership with FAO, the Ozone Secretariat, UNEP OzonAction Programme, and the Climate and Clean Air Coalition.
