One in six pints of milk thrown away each year, study shows

Analysis suggests 116m tonnes of dairy products are wasted globally, with almost half lost before they even reach a store

One in six pints of milk produced around the world is lost or wasted, according to research conducted at Edinburgh University for the Guardian.

Sixteen percent of dairy products - 116m tonnes - is lost or discarded globally each year, according to Prof Peter Alexander, a member of the newly formed Global Academy of Agriculture and Food Security. He calculated that retailers, distributors and consumers are responsible for half of this waste, throwing away roughly 60m tonnes of dairy a year.