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About 30 percent of the world's food is wasted annually, but a new FAO effort aims to promote savings
Food loss is defined as “the decrease in quantity or quality of food” and are the agricultural or fisheries products intended for human consumption that are ultimately not eaten by people or that have incurred a reduction in quality reflected in their nutritional value, economic value or food safety.
An important part of food loss is “food waste”, which refers to the discarding or alternative (nonfood) use of food that was fit for human consumption – by choice or after the food has been left to spoil or expire as a result of negligence.
Accurate estimations of the magnitude of losses and waste are still lacking, particularly in developing countries. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that the levels of food loss and waste remain unacceptably high.
Recent studies commissioned by FAO estimated yearly global food losses and waste at roughly 30 percent for cereals, 40-50 percent for root crops, fruits and vegetables, 20 percent for oilseeds, meat and dairy, and 30 percent for fish.
In subsistence farming systems of poor smallholder producers, losses result directly in less food being available, and therefore contribute to food insecurity. Losses in food quality, as well, may cause reduced nutritional status.
Food loss and waste have negative environmental impacts because of the water, land, energy and other natural resources used to produce food that no one consumes. Food loss represents a loss of economic value for actors in the food production and supply chains. The value of food lost or wasted annually at the global level is estimated at US$ 1 trillion.
The Save Food Initiative was launched by FAO and Messe Düsseldorf at the Interpack2011 trade fair for the packaging and processing industry, held in Düsseldorf, Germany. The global programme rests on four main pillars:
- Collaboration and coordination of worldwide initiatives on food loss and waste reduction: Save Food has established a global partnership of public and private sector organizations and companies that are active in the fight against food loss and waste. To develop, plan and implement interventions and use resources efficiently, it is essential that all initiatives are well coordinated, so that everybody knows what is happening worldwide, information, problems and solutions are shared, and methodologies, strategies and approaches are harmonized.
- Awareness raising on the impact of, and solutions for, food loss and waste: This will be achieved through a global communication and media campaign, the dissemination of findings and results from the Save Food Initiative, and the organization of regional Save Food congresses.
- Research on policy, strategy and programme development for food loss and waste reduction: This includes a series of national and regional field studies to analyse the causes of, and viable solutions for food loss. The Save Food Initiative also conducts studies on the socio-economic impacts of food loss and waste, and the political and regulatory framework that affects food loss and waste.
- Support to projects for piloting and implementing food loss reduction strategies by the private and public sectors.
Because the causes of food loss and waste vary in different parts of the world, the Save Food Initiative takes a regional approach, developing strategies adjusted to the specific needs of regions, subregions and countries.
The Save Food Initiative seeks and invites private sector companies and civil society organizations from all over the world to join its network of partners and Communities of Practice – www.fao.org/save-food.
