Photo courtesy of Food and Agriculture Organization

The COVID-19 pandemic has put food on the top of everyone's minds as lockdowns close dining establishments and disrupt food supplies.

Although there is enough food produced to feed everyone on the planet, extreme hunger continues in some parts of the world. Some 821 million people are considered to be “chronically undernourished” according to the United Nations. That's one in nine people who do not have enough food to eat.

Yet food waste continues to rise against this backdrop.

Here are 5 shocking facts about food waste from the World Food Programme and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations:

1. Around one-third of all food produced globally is either lost or wasted according to the World Food Programme. This equates to around 1.3 billion tonnes of food.

2. Almost half of all fruit and vegetables produced are wasted. This equates to 3.7 trillion apples!

3. If food waste was a country, it would be the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after USA and China. 8% of greenhouse gases heating the planet are caused by food waste. It also generates some 4.4 million tonnes of C02 a year. That's equivalent to taking one in four cars off the road.

4.. By saving one quarter of the food currently lost or wasted, there would be enough to feed 870 million hungry people.

5. Food waste is estimated to cost the global economy some USD1 trillion per year.

Furthermore, you're just wasting your own money when you throw away food. And spare a thought for the hungry souls when you next put food in the bin.

The World Food Programme is the food-assistance branch of the United Nations and the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition and food security.