Every day, millions of Nigerians go to bed hungry, yet billions of naira worth of food is wasted from farm to fork. In a country where 30.6 million people across 27 of 36 states are projected by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to face acute food insecurity between June and August 2025, this contradiction is more than a tragedy; it is a failure of policy, systems, and strategic coordination.

The impact is felt not just in reports but in everyday life. In May 2025, my younger brother Kingsley bought a single tuber of yam for ₦8,000 at Market Square supermarket in Umuahia, Abia State, an item that cost between ₦1,500 and ₦2,500 before I left for the United Kingdom in September 2023. This drastic price hike highlights how inaccessible even basic staples have become for ordinary Nigerians, many of whom still earn as little as ₦30,000 monthly, all while significant amounts of food continue to go to waste.

As a sustainable food systems researcher trained in the UK and grounded in the realities of Nigeria’s agricultural landscape, I have come to understand that food waste is not a side issue; it is a central threat to our sustainability, economy, and national health.

The Scale of Nigeria’s Food Waste
Nigeria loses over 40% of the food it produces, particularly perishable items like fruits, vegetables, and root crops, according to the Agricultural Recovery Program (ARP) by the Lagos Food Bank Initiative. This alarming level of waste persists in a country where over 130 million people live below the poverty line, more than half of the estimated 237.5 million population.

Yet, despite this paradox, Nigeria continues to import large quantities of staples like wheat and processed foods, exposing inefficiencies in our food system. The waste is visible everywhere: Tomatoes rotting in open markets in Kano, piles of yams spoiling under the sun in Benue, and spoilt plantains dumped at Mile 12 Market in Lagos.

Behind this waste are inefficient storage facilities, poor transportation networks, insufficient cold chain systems, and inadequate policy coordination. But the deeper issue is systemic neglect.

Progress and Fragmentation Shape Nigeria’s Policy Landscape

To be clear, Nigeria has taken some steps in the right direction. The 2024 National Policy on Food Safety and Quality Implementation Plan aims to improve traceability, handling, and food hygiene. Agencies like the Nigerian Stored Products Research Institute are working to reduce post-harvest losses, while innovative start-ups like Ecotutu offer solar-powered cold storage to rural farmers.

Notwithstanding, these efforts remain fragmented across ministries, NGOs, and state governments. Unlike the UK, where national food waste targets are embedded in robust policy frameworks like the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) roadmap, Nigeria lacks a comprehensive centralised national strategy to monitor, report, or actively reduce food loss and waste. This gap leaves innovation without coordination, placing the burden on farmers, vendors, and households to manage the crisis on their own.

Insights from the UK at a Policy Crossroads

During my MSc in Food and Nutrition Sciences at Sheffield Hallam University, I developed innovative and sustainable food products by upcycling food industry by-products and underutilised crops, an approach that addresses both waste and nutritional challenges. My dissertation awarded a Distinction (88%), focused on converting major UK food wastes like potatoes and breadcrumbs into affordable, high-quality plant-based burgers.

This research contributes to the development of circular food systems and aligns with national priorities on food security, waste minimisation, public health nutrition, and climate resilience, key pillars in the UK’s strategy to achieve net zero by 2050.

In the UK, reducing food waste is not left to chance. National road maps, mandatory reporting frameworks, and multi-sector innovation schemes bring together academia, businesses, and policymakers to tackle the issue systemically. This coordinated approach is central not just to food system sustainability but also to the country’s broader climate commitments. It is a model Nigeria must urgently emulate.

Who Pays the Price?

Food waste has silent victims: children under 5 suffering from malnutrition due to reduced household food access; farmers losing income from unsold perishables; consumers paying higher prices due to artificially constrained supply; and the environment, as methane emissions from landfills accelerate climate change.

Globally, if food waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, after China and the USA. In short, we all lose.

What Should Nigeria Do?

Launch a Dedicated National Food Waste Strategy: Backed by real-time data, research, and implementation timelines, this should go beyond general waste or food safety policies and directly target measurable food loss reduction.

Fund Food Processing and Storage Hubs in Rural Areas: Invest in decentralised hubs with drying, cold storage, and packaging technologies to extend shelf life and stabilise supply chains.

Embed Food Waste Education in Curricula: From basic nutrition in primary schools to sustainability modules at university level, we must train the next generation to protect our food systems.

Incentivise Industry Innovation: Offer tax breaks and grants to agri-food start-ups working on zero-waste innovations, from by-product valorisation to food-sharing networks.

Bridge the Research–Policy Gap: Encourage more researchers to translate academic insights into practical policies and more government agencies to co-develop evidence-based interventions with scientific experts.

Closing Thoughts

We cannot feed the future if we continue wasting the present. From watching heaps of unsold food rot under the sun at Orie Ugba market in Umuahia to working in cutting-edge food laboratories in the UK, I have come to realise that without coordination, even the most well-meaning innovations become lost opportunities, painfully so, in a nation where hunger walks hand in hand with waste.
If we are serious about tackling hunger, we must treat food waste as a national emergency hiding in plain sight. This is not just a kitchen problem; it is an economic, environmental, and social crisis. Nigeria must act, not tomorrow, not next year, but now.

Daniel Uluocha is a food and nutrition scientist and independent researcher, with a focus on sustainable food innovation and research capacity development. He holds an MSc in Food and Nutrition Sciences from Sheffield Hallam University, UK, graduating with Distinction. His research centred on assessing the level of food waste in the UK and developing nutritious and affordable products from UK food waste, contributing to the circular economy and the UK’s net zero goals.