The United Nations believes about 17 percent of the world's food goes to waste each year.That amounts to 931 million tons of food being thrown away from homes，stores and food companies.
    The Information comes from the UN Environment Program's Food Waste Index Report 2021.The report says food waste is not only a problem in rich countries like Britain and the United States.It happens in poor countries，too，where food can go bad without cold storage.Most of the wasted food — 61 percent comes from homes.The rest comes from stores and food service companies.
    Sometimes stores offer reduced prices on larger amounts of food，so people buy too much food，but they do not always use it before it goes bad.Also，the writing on food containers（容器） can be hard to understand.In some cases，the producers put a date that shows when the food will be best to eat.Sometimes the food is still good for a number of days after the date，but people will throw it away.Food administrators in the US have asked producers to label（標(biāo)明） their products in a way that is easier for people to understand.
    Researchers say more attention should be paid to the influences of food waste on the world.In the past few years，because of food waste，an increasing amount of land has been required to plant crops.What's more，more forests are also being cleared for more food production.If food waste is reduced，it might be possible to lessen the food production.

（1）How much food is being wasted from homes，stores and food companies？

931 million tons.

931 million tons.

（2）Is food waste a problem in poor countries？

Yes （，it is）.

Yes （，it is）.

（3）Why do people sometimes buy too much food？

Because sometimes stores offer reduced prices on larger amounts of food.

Because sometimes stores offer reduced prices on larger amounts of food.

（4）How can food producers help people reduce food waste？

By labeling their products in a way that is easier for people to understand.

By labeling their products in a way that is easier for people to understand.

（5）What influence does food waste have on the world？

An increasing amount of land has been required to plant crops and more forests are also being cleared for more food production.

An increasing amount of land has been required to plant crops and more forests are also being cleared for more food production.