In 2011, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) published a study showing that around 1/3 of the world’s food was lost or wasted every year. Since then, a much greater awareness has emerged globally, but much more is needed to move towards more sustainable consumption patterns and achieve SDG 12.

We all have a part to play in reducing food loss and waste, not only for the sake of saving food, but also for preserving the resources that go into it and are wasted. FAO is partnering with governments, international organizations, the private sector and civil society to raise awareness on the issues and to implement targeted actions to address the root of the problem.

On 23 and 24 November, FAO China collaborated with Tsinghua University to organize its first Hackathon for Reducing Food Loss and Waste, which gathered youth from across China to tackle challenges on food loss and waste. During the 2-day event supported by FAO and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, each of the 10 selected teams was assigned a professional tutor to refine their ideas. During the final competition, the 10 teams presented their ideas to a jury composed of professionals, and 3 of them won a prize.

The top winning team “Food for Life” proposed a mobile app that integrates blockchain, the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence to solve the issue of merchants' perishable foods and unsellable agricultural products by connecting consumers to supermarkets and retailers, with the ultimate goal of reducing food waste along the supply chain.

The second winning team “Pinshaoshao” designed a platform for tourists to share the local food they want to try and find partners to share their meal and avoid losses. By scheduling a group meal at a local restaurant through the platform, tourists can taste more local food with less money and less waste.

The third winning team “W+” proposed a very special food plate for canteens. By inserting Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tag into the food plate and the canteen management system, nutrition information and the amount of food waste can be tracked.

Reducing food loss and waste is critical to creating a Zero Hunger world and reaching the world’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For many people on the planet, food is a given. But for the staggering more than 820 million people who are hungry, food is not a guarantee.

Start with you and me. Start from today. Save food. Save our planet.