Food loss and waste reduction, measurement and policy
Food loss and waste reduction should be seen as a means towards achieving other objectives, including improving food security and nutrition, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and lowering pressure on water and land resources, which contribute towards increased productivity and economic growth. The formulation of effective policies to achieve food loss and waste reduction requires comprehensive information as to how much and where – both geographically and along the supply chain – various foods are lost or wasted. The work of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on measurement, and its support to countries in taking action to reduce food loss and waste, is critical in tracking progress made by countries.
News
Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) event| From farm to food donation. How to maximize the potential of preventing harvest losses to ensure food security?
19/01/2024
Best practices for collaborations between farmers and Food Banks on recovering and redistributing produce to charities supporting people in need were...
Latest events
FAO Food Loss Application (FLAPP) virtual introduction
25/04/2024
By providing accessible information on food loss through video advisories, the FLAPP empowers farmers, companies, producer associations, and cooperatives...
FAO Food Loss App - FLAPP
29/09/2023
FAO has just developed a new app to convert a methodology to measure food losses at the farm level. The Food Loss App - FLAPP’s main objective is to help designing targeted policies and incentives that in the future will allow losses to be reduced, directly impacting UN Sustainable Goal Target 12.3.
Stories
Community of Practice (CoP) on food loss reduction
As a member of the Community of Practice on food loss and waste reduction you will be able to access the Forum, participate in online discussions, get in touch with other practitioners, share and request relevant and updated information, contribute to building a worldwide community that aims to reduce food losses and achieve food security.
Publications
Food Waste Index Report 2024. Think Eat Save: Tracking Progress to Halve Global Food Waste
27/03/2024
This Food Waste Index Report 2024 builds on the 2021 report in three ways: 1) New data has been used to develop a new estimate of global food waste. 2) This report builds on the SDG 12.3 food waste measurement methodology published in the Food Waste Index Report 2021, providing more detailed guidance on measurement at the retail, food service and household sectors. 3) The report starts to move from food waste measurement to food waste reduction through public-private partnerships.
Voluntary Code of Conduct for Food Loss and Waste Reduction
20/07/2022
Following the request of the 26th Session of the Committee on Agriculture (COAG), FAO has developed the Voluntary Code of Conduct for Food Loss and Waste Reduction (CoC). The document was submitted to the FAO Conference for consideration and endorsement, and approved on 15 June 2021.
The State of Food and Agriculture 2019
31/10/2019
A shorter version of the FAO flagship publication The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA) 2019, it contains the key messages and main points from the publication and is aimed at the media, policy makers and a more general public.
Mitigating risks to food systems during COVID-19: Reducing food loss and waste
08/12/2020
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc globally, generating significant challenges that could result in risks to food security and nutrition in many countries. Countries are ordering lockdowns, restricting movement and observing physical distancing to curb the pandemic.
