Significantly high levels of food loss and waste (FLW) occur in the global agrifood system. Up to 13.2 percent of food produced globally is lost while 17 percent is wasted. FLW has negative impacts on food security and nutrition – including for the 828 million people who are undernourished and the 3.1 billion who cannot afford a healthy diet. FLW contributes to climate change, being responsible for 8-10 percent of all greenhouse emissions. It also contributes to environmental pollution, degradation of natural ecosystems and biodiversity loss, and represents a waste of resources, such as water, that are used in food production. 

The Dialogue will focus on three main questions:

(1) What are the challenges faced and the progress made since the Food Systems Summit in FLW prevention and reduction as part of an agenda to accelerate achievement of the SDGs through agrifood systems transformation? 

(2) How has FLW prevention and reduction resulted from and contributed to a more efficient, resilient and inclusive food system? How can trade-offs be minimized in achieving sustainability in all three dimensions? 

(3) How can the ‘means of implementation’ for FLW prevention and reduction (e.g. finance, science and technology) be mobilized or leveraged at scale at sub-national, national and global levels?  

The session will also raise awareness on the key role of FLW prevention and reduction in agrifood systems transformation. This role is not recognized yet, while weak human and institutional capacities, and weak means of implementation plague attempts to address FLW within agrifood transformation agendas.  

Awareness and recognition would mobilize the political will and commitment required to integrate FLW in national pathways. Examples of successful interventions can inspire the design and implementation of national pathways, incentivizing peer-to-peer learning and cooperation will be shared.  

Through concrete examples, the session will examine challenges faced and progress made in FLW prevention and reduction within a sustainable agrifood systems context. It will highlight successful approaches and promote peer-to-peer learning and cooperation to accelerate and deepen the transformative power of agrifood systems through FLW prevention and reduction.  

Through 2 rounds of questions and answers, speakers will discuss challenges faced and provide examples of successes in FLW reduction contributing to agrifood systems transformation.  

Examples will also look at theinclusion of groups that face higher levels of vulnerability, exclusion and marginalization in the agrifood system, such as women and indigenous peoples. It will highlight approaches to ensure that these groups have access to the resources and services needed to prevent and reduce FLW and that they are not excluded from profiting from the benefits of their action. 

The session will be conducted in a conversational moderated roundtable format. 

The event is co-organized by FAO, the Government of Italy and the UN Food Systems Coordination Hub 

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