TIAR Center and RAEC present the results of Russia's first study on food sharing

TIAR Center and RAEC studied the food loss chain and the food sharing market in Russia.
At least 17 million tons of food waste are generated annually in Russia by retail, restaurants and consumption in households, which is almost entirely (94%) sent to landfills and garbage dumps, thereby seriously harming the environment. At the same time, such a colossal amount of food would be enough to feed about 30 million people every year. This is more than the number of people in need whose incomes do not reach the subsistence level (about 20 million people).
Food loss is a complex problem that is associated with environmental pollution and providing food to those in need. This problem seriously reduces the efficiency of agriculture, food production and trade. According to the study, the cost of annually discarded food is estimated at 1.64 trillion rubles per year (about 1.5% of GDP as of 2018).

The authors of the study estimate the amount of food saved in Russia due to food sharing services in 2018 at 7,000 metric tons. According to the estimates of the TIAR Center and RAEC analysts, by 2024 the volume of saved food could increase to 1 million tons. For this, three key components are required: state regulation to determine the status of products for food sharing and its taxation, development of technological platforms and the willingness of business working with food products to optimize their use. The study provides a list of measures to solve the problem of food loss.
Download the report here.