On this episode of the WRI Podcast, Lawrence MacDonald interviews Liz Goodwin, a WRI senior fellow and our first director of food loss and waste. Goodwin, a British businesswoman and environmentalist, was previously CEO of the Waste Resources & Action Programme (WRAP), which catalyzed a national program that reduced UK food loss and waste by 21 percent, an achievement recognized last year when she was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).

FAO data has shown that about a third of all food produced is never eaten. If food loss and waste were its own country, it would be the world’s third-largest source of emissions after China and the United States.

What to do?

Goodwin explores lessons from the UK success, and how she plans to lead efforts globally to attain Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3 to halve food waste by 2030, while also reducing food loss. Goodwin provides insights into how families, companies and governments can reduce food loss and waste to feed a growing world population while also reducing food waste-related emissions, a major driver of climate change.

Listen to the podcast here.

To learn more about WRI’s Food Program and its work to help people eat sustainably, listen to a previous podcast on sustainable diets, and watch the Insights blog for future podcasts.