Food Wasting on Consumption Level: Analysis of the Situation in Latvia Compared to Global Tendencies

Reducing food waste at all stages of the food value chain holds out considerable social, environmental and economic potential. With the global population estimated to reach 9.5 billion by 2075, mankind needs to ensure it has the food resources available to feed all these people. With current practices wasting up to 50 % of all food produced, it is important to promote sustainable ways to reduce waste. But to do so, it is important to understand the current situation regarding the food waste amounts. The aim of this article is to compare the situation regarding food waste in Latvia and food waste in foreign countries, as well as to identify factors that influence food wasting behaviour. The results are based on the research of theoretical guidelines, foreign research results and on the pilot research conducted in Latvia by the authors of the article in 2013, in which 610 respondents participated. The results of the pilot research show that the situation in Latvia is very similar to the situation globally.