Tunisia ranks first among Maghreb countries in terms of food waste, with an average of 172 kg per person per year, equivalent to an estimated national total of two million tons.
This places the country second in the Arab world after Egypt, according to the Food Waste Index 2024 published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
The most frequently discarded foods in the country are bread, grain products, and vegetables, a situation that, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), represents a major challenge to national food security.
Globally, food waste accounts for 10% of greenhouse gas emissions, warns WWF North Africa. Every item of food thrown away represents far more than an economic loss; it is a cascading waste of natural resources, as water, energy, and agricultural land are consumed in vain throughout the production chain.
This is compounded by a direct climate impact: once in landfills, the decomposition of organic waste generates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.
In light of these findings, the NGO believes that reducing food waste is “a fundamental step for climate protection.”
To achieve this, it recommends a series of simple measures such as better meal planning, more mindful purchasing, recovery and use of surplus food and support for initiatives that recycle organic waste.
These recommendations are particularly important for Tunisia, which could turn this environmental challenge into an opportunity to strengthen its food resilience and enhance its contribution to international climate commitments.
