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Food Losses and Waste in the Context of Sustainable Food Systems

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Food Losses and Waste in the Context of Sustainable Food Systems HLPE REPORT 8 Food losses and waste in the context of sustainable food systems A report by The High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition June 2014 HLPE Reports series #1 Price volatility and food security (2011) #2 Land tenure and international investments in agriculture (2011) #3 Food security and climate change (2012) #4 Social protection for food security (2012) #5 Biofuels and food security (2013) #6 Investing in smallholder agriculture for food security (2013) #7 Sustainable fisheries and aquaculture for food security and nutrition (2014) #8 Food losses and waste in the context of sustainable food systems (2014) All HLPE reports are available at www.fao.org/cfs/cfs-hlpe 2 HLPE Steering Committee members (June 2014) Per Pinstrup-Andersen (Chair) Maryam Rahmanian (Vice-Chair) Amadou Allahoury Marion Guillou Sheryl Hendriks Joanna Hewitt Masa Iwanaga Carol Kalafatic Bernardo Kliksberg Renato Maluf Sophia Murphy Ruth Oniang’o Michel Pimbert Magdalena Sepúlveda Huajun Tang HLPE Project Team members Vishweshwaraiah Prakash (Team Leader) Jane Ambuko Walter Belik Jikun Huang Antonius Timmermans Coordinator of the HLPE Vincent Gitz This report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE) has been approved by the HLPE Steering Committee. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Committee on World Food Security, of its members, participants, or of the Secretariat. This report is made publicly available and its reproduction and dissemination is encouraged. Non- commercial uses will be authorized free of charge, upon request. Reproduction for resale or other commercial purposes, including educational purposes, may incur fees. Applications for permission to reproduce or disseminate this report should be addressed by e-mail to [email protected] with copy to [email protected]. Referencing this report: HLPE, 2014. Food losses and waste in the context of sustainable food systems. A report by the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition of the Committee on World Food Security, Rome 2014. 3 4 Contents FOREWORD ...............................................................................................................9 SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................. 11 Main findings .................................................................................................................................... 11 Recommendations ........................................................................................................................... 16 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 19 1 FOOD LOSSES AND WASTE AND SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS: DEFINITION, EXTENT AND IMPACTS .............................................................. 21 1.1 What are FLW along food chains and how to measure them? .......................................... 21 1.1.1 FLW concepts and definitions ...................................................................................... 21 1.1.2 FLW and FQLW metrics ............................................................................................... 24 1.1.3 Current evaluations of the extent of food losses and waste ........................................ 25 1.1.4 Towards harmonized methodologies and protocols to describe and measure FLW ... 28 1.2 What are sustainable food systems? .................................................................................... 29 1.3 FLW, sustainable food systems and food security ............................................................. 31 1.3.1 FLW and SFS ............................................................................................................... 31 1.3.2 FLW and food security ................................................................................................. 35 2 CAUSES AND DRIVERS OF FOOD LOSSES AND WASTE ............................ 39 2.1 Stage-specific causes of FLW along the food chain ........................................................... 39 2.1.1 Pre-harvest factors and produce left unharvested ....................................................... 41 2.1.2 Harvesting and initial handling ..................................................................................... 42 2.1.3 Storage ......................................................................................................................... 43 2.1.4 Transport and logistics ................................................................................................. 44 2.1.5 Processing and packaging ........................................................................................... 45 2.1.6 Retail ............................................................................................................................ 46 2.1.7 Consumption ................................................................................................................ 47 2.2 Meso-causes of food losses and waste ................................................................................ 49 2.2.1 Lack of support to actors for investments and good practices ..................................... 50 2.2.2 Lack of private and public infrastructure for well-functioning food chains .................... 50 2.2.3 Lack of integrated food chain approaches and management ...................................... 51 2.2.4 Confusion around food date labelling ........................................................................... 52 2.3 Macro-level causes of FLW .................................................................................................... 54 2.3.1 Impact of policies, laws and regulations on FLW ......................................................... 54 2.3.2 Systemic causes........................................................................................................... 55 3 OPTIONS TO REDUCE FOOD LOSSES AND WASTE ..................................... 57 3.1 Single actor, technical or behaviour-driven solutions to reduce food losses and waste ................................................................................................................................. 58 3.1.1 Good practices in crop and animal production ............................................................. 58 3.1.2 Storage and conservation solutions ............................................................................. 58 3.1.3 Technical solutions in transport, processing and packaging ........................................ 60 3.1.4 Solutions for the hospitality sector................................................................................ 62 3.1.5 Solutions for households .............................................................................................. 63 3.2 Concerted and collective solutions to reduce FLW ............................................................ 64 3.2.1 Adopt a food chain approach to FLW reduction actions .............................................. 64 3.2.2 Invest in infrastructure .................................................................................................. 65 5 3.2.3 Invest in adapted cold chain developments ................................................................. 66 3.2.4 Develop food processing .............................................................................................. 67 3.2.5 Ensure proper capacity building, education, training and extension services ............. 68 3.2.6 Unleash the crucial role of women to reduce FLW ...................................................... 70 3.2.7 Give a role to corporate social responsibility ................................................................ 71 3.2.8 Promote consumer behaviour change ......................................................................... 71 3.2.9 Give value to surplus “saved” food ............................................................................... 72 3.2.10 Valorize by-products, side streams and non-used food ............................................... 74 3.3 Promoting and enabling individual and collective change................................................. 76 3.3.1 Consider costs and benefits to overcome “winners and losers” constraints ................ 77 3.3.2 Integrate FLW concerns in policies .............................................................................. 79 3.3.3 Mobilize all actors and consumers for awareness and action ...................................... 83 4 ENABLING THE CHANGE: A WAY FORWARD TO FOOD LOSSES AND WASTE REDUCTION STRATEGIES ................................................................. 89 4.1 A way forward to reduce FLW in different contexts ............................................................ 89 4.2 How to construct the way forward? ...................................................................................... 91 4.2.1 Improve data collection and knowledge sharing on FLW ............................................ 91 4.2.2 Diagnose and develop effective strategies to reduce FLW .......................................... 92 4.2.3 Take effective steps to reduce FLW ............................................................................. 93 4.2.4 Improve coordination of policies and strategies in order to reduce FLW ..................... 95 REFERENCES .........................................................................................................
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