Mangoes, Maize, and Fish: Kenya’s Top Wasted Foods Revealed

Kenyans are throwing away billions in food annually, with maize and fruits topping the list of foods most wasted by Kenyans, according to a new report.
According to the report by World Resources Institute (WRI) Africa , up to 40 per cent of Kenya’s food production is lost annually through wastage.
The report, titled Food Loss and Waste, further revealed that this wastage translates to about 9 million tons of food annually, valued at around Ksh72 billion (USD578 million). All this was taking place even as the country struggles with food shortage, with 1 in every four Kenyans struggling daily to get enough to eat.
Besides maize and fruits, other food items which are subjected to extreme wastage by Kenyans include potato, and fish items, with the report estimating that the wastage is enough to fill 500 million 18-ton trucks.
Kenya loses up to 36 per cent of maize, 56 per cent of fresh fruits (including 17–56 per cent of mangoes, 15–35 per cent of avocados, and 7–11 per cent of bananas), 23 per cent of potatoes, and 34 per cent of fish with most of it going bad before the food reaches consumers.
The result of this is food shortages,while farmers’ livelihoods also take a hitsince potential profits are hampered by produce going bad after leaving farms.
Notably, the report is the most comprehensiveanalysis yet on food waste in Kenya. It maps where and why losses occur and proposes urgent solutions that could help strengthen food security and fight climate change.
Ugali, a staple food in Kenya, is indirectly a part of the crisis as maize losses which are as high as 36 per cent brings ripple effects to households by driving up flour prices and making Ugali less accessible for lower income households.
The report further attributed the problem largely to a limited understanding among farmers and consumers of the scale and impact of food loss.
“For ordinary Kenyans, food loss and waste may seem like a distant issue – largely due to limited awareness of its scale and impact. Yet, its consequences are deeply felt across society,” part of the report read.
“For the government, losses of staples like maize in storage undermine efforts to ensure national security. For businesses, losses arising from inefficient supply chains mean reduced profits and lost opportunities. For smallholder farmers, food losses directly affect yields, incomes, and sometimes daily survival.”
It is estimated that if Kenya manages to cut food waste by 50 per cent by 2030, 7 million more people can be fed every year, saving a whopping Ksh 36 billion.
One of the ways to curb the challenge, as outlined in the report, is through a three-part strategy involving better data tracking, wider use of proven technologies, and stronger policy implementation.
Further, adaptation of cold storage , hermetic bags and empowerment of farmers through training programs can reduce losses. All these technologies, however, remain limited in scale.
In areas where certain foods are at a surplus, the study encourages food donation and recovery programs to areas with deficits.