Commemoration of International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste

Live broadcast

Background

The 2030 Agenda set the Sustainable Development Goal of Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12.3), indicating that by that date it seeks to "halve global food waste per capita in retail and at the consumer level and reduce food losses in production and distribution chains,  including post-harvest losses."

It is estimated that 11.6% of food is lost in Latin America (FAO, 2019). Meanwhile, in 2022, global food waste in retail, food service or households was estimated at 19% of the total food available to consumers (UNEP, 2024).  

FLW has an environmental impact in that this lost production represents between 8 and 10% of greenhouse gases, consumes 25% of the total fresh water used on the planet, implies a high consumption of energy, labor and land.

If FLWs were a country, they would be the third largest contributor of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the world (FAO), which is equivalent to the emissions of more than 50 million vehicles. All of this has an impact on climate change and exacerbates inequalities, such as access to food and hunger.

Every year, more than 130 million tons of organic waste are destined for final disposal in Latin America and the Caribbean. Paradoxically, at the same time, the figures from the SOFI Report 2024 showed that 41 million people suffered from hunger in the region and 187.6 million people (28.2% of the population) suffered from moderate or severe food insecurity.

Reducing FLW is considered a good way to lower production costs and increase the efficiency of the agri-food system, improve food security and nutrition, and contribute to environmental sustainability (SOFA, 2019). It is also a climate solution that countries and communities can use to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. To be successful, it will be necessary to significantly increase the quality and quantity of accessible climate finance (FAO, 2024), while fostering innovation and technologies.

The dialogue at the regional level of the different actors of agrifood systems offers an opportunity to increase awareness of the impacts of FLW, visualize the challenges and assess progress.

Objective

The fifth edition of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste will highlight the critical need for financing to boost efforts to reduce food loss and waste, contribute to the achievement of climate goals and advance the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

• Thematic panels: 
• Public policies on FLW reduction in the Latin American and Caribbean region
• Progress and challenges of FLW in the Latin American and Caribbean region
• Innovation, technologies and initiatives to combat FLW
• National Strategies for the reduction of FLW.