The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) issued a statement calling upon companies and organizations around the world to join the Save Food Initiative and reduce global waste.

Save Food, established in 2011, has over 50 partners including donors, bi-and multi-lateral agencies, and financial institutions including IFAD, World Bank, WFP, UNIDO, EU, and African Development Bank. The initiative aims to reduce the 1.3 billion tons of food wasted each year totaling nearly $1 trillion, $680 billion in industrialized countries and $310 billion in developing nations.

FAO has enlisted the help of trade fair organizer Messe D¼sseldorf GmbH and fair trade processor, Interpack, to generate support and gain the expertise of private sector partners and non-profits organizations.

According to FAO, food losses impact small farmers in developing countries the hardest, with almost 65 percent of food waste occurring during production and processing. In contrast, most food waste from industrialized countries occurs at the consumer level.

New technologies, better infrastructure, and more efficient practices are necessary, says FAO, at both the production and consumption levels to effectively cut down on global food waste.

Olivia Arnow is a research intern with the Nourishing the Planet project.