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Brochure, flyer, fact-sheetMitigating risks to food systems during COVID-19
Reducing food loss and waste
2020The 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. Disruptions in supply chains resulting from blockages on transport routes, transport restrictions and quarantine measures are resulting in significant increases in food loss and waste, especially of perishable agricultural produce such as fruits and vegetables, fish, meat and dairy products. In addition, labour shortages, owing to the restriction of movement of key stakeholders in production and transport, are significantly impacting food supply and demand owing to food shortages in some markets, further contributing to food loss and to the unnecessary waste of food supplies in these difficult times. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) encourages countries to adopt holistic approaches to tackle food loss and waste reduction, in an effort to facilitate access to food for all and particularly for vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. -
Book (stand-alone)Case studies on food waste quantification, characterization, and identification of prevention and reduction options in Colombo, Sri Lanka 2022
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No results found.Food waste (FW) is a key challenge on the sustainable development agenda of countries worldwide. The lack of FW data and insights from its analysis about quantities, causes, and characteristics is a significant obstacle in implementing adequate reduction and prevention interventions for different sectors. The primary purpose of the case studies was to review FW prevention, reduction, and management initiatives. Lessons and best practices that enable and facilitate solutions were identified. Nine case studies were conducted targeting five sectors: food services (one restaurant and one hotel), wholesale markets (one fruits and vegetables wholesale market), retailers (one retail market, one retail shop, and one supermarket), caterers (one hospital), and households (five middle- and five high-income households). The case studies consisted of a FW audit that measured the amounts generated from various processes and identified drivers/causes and current best practices. Quantification involved physical separation, weighing, and categorizing the different food components. The separation classified quantities into edible and inedible portions. The study also focused on assessing the environmental and socio impacts, based on assessed and categorized FW quantities. FW is a complex phenomenon where the amount, causes and consequences are contextually different. It is not easy to compare and contrast country-level data and the individual actors in the same country. Therefore, the case study approach has been used in many FW-related studies. Multiple case studies can be expensive and time-consuming to implement. Under this study, we analyzed nine case studies targeting five sectors: food services (four restaurants, a dessert shop and one hotel), wholesale markets (one fruit and vegetable market ), retail markets (one supermarket, one fruit and vegetable retailer, one Dedicated Economic Center), caterers/institutional canteens (one hospital) and households (five middle-income households and five low-income households). Entities were selected based on willingness to participate and an actual FW reduction need. -
Brochure, flyer, fact-sheetUnderstanding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security in Africa 2020
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No results found.In addition to its drastic impact to human health globally, the COVID-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact on the economies globally and notably in Africa. Countries on the continent have taken various measures to try and contain the spread of COVID-19 such as lockdowns, curfews, closure of borders and other movement restrictions including quarantines and roadblocks, closure of markets, fear of animals, among others. Early indications suggest that the impact on agriculture and food security and levels of poverty and malnutrition will be significant if urgent actions are not taken. Although the economic impacts of COVID-19 will be more significant than the SARS epidemic, the H1N1 flu epidemic and the Ebola epidemic, COVID-19 impact on economic well-being will be observed through two distinct but similar channels. First are the direct and indirect effects of the sickness and mortality, which will lead to an increase in health care costs and loss of economic activity of infected individuals during their illness. Second, are the behavioral effects resulting from people’s fear of contagion and measures taken by governments to control the spread of the infection. The impacts of essential containment/isolation and distancing measures on social and economic well-being are yet to be realized and could have tremendous effects, notably among the most vulnerable.
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