Tackling Better Nutrition: Five critical actions from FAO’s evaluation of reducing food loss and waste

According to FAO’s State of Food and Agriculture (2019), around 14% of the world’s food is lost between harvest and the retail market each year, while UNEP’s Food Waste Index Report shows that an additional 17% is wasted at the retail and consumer levels. Reducing food loss and waste (FLW) is crucial for improving food security, sustainability, and efficiency within food systems – in short, for achieving the sustainable development goals.

FAO Strategic Framework 2022–31 articulates FAO’s support to the 2030 agenda. It is structured along the four betters. These are further divided into twenty Programme Priority Areas. One of these priorities, under the “better nutrition” pillar, is BN4: Reducing Food Loss and Waste, aimed at supporting countries in adopting effective strategies to reduce FLW across the entire food supply chain.

In May 2024, the Independent Office of Evaluation delivered the first comprehensive evaluation of FAO’s reducing food loss and waste portfolio, focusing on the period 2015 to 2022.

Five key recommendations were identified to strengthen FAO’s efforts in addressing FLW.

1. Expand awareness raising efforts

FAO’s publications related to FLW are an area of strength. However, in many countries, the topic remains largely unnoticed. To bring this critical issue to the forefront, FAO should consider undertaking a series of initiatives, including: rolling out a global campaign that builds upon the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste and is adapted to local contexts; targeting food producers, processors, retailers and consumers; organizing events to discuss evidence-based FLW reduction strategies and share best practices; facilitating community-led projects.

2. Strengthen national capacity for measuring food loss

Accurate data is essential for understanding the extent of food loss and identifying intervention points. The Food Loss Index (FLI) is the primary tool for monitoring progress towards SDG target 12.3. However, in 2019, it was the least reported SDG indicator among those under FAO’s custodianship and one with the most demand for assistance. FAO should increase efforts to develop statistical capacity at country level. This can be done by using different funding sources, as already done with the Global Strategy to Improve Agricultural Statistics and the 50x2030 Initiative, and by collaborating with regional institutions like the African Union.

3. Increase dedicated personnel

Strengthening the organizational capacity within FAO is vital for driving the expansion and sustainability of FLW reduction activities. The small number of  human resources dedicated to FLW in the Agrifood Systems and Food Safety Division (EFS) hinders the Programme Priority Area’s capacity to promote coherence and mainstream FLW work. To address this, FAO should consider approaches to expand and reorganize teams to bring the skillset required for reducing FLW across agrifood systems.

4. Integrate cross-cutting themes into food loss and waste interventions

Interventions aimed at reducing food loss often intersect with efforts to preserve food safety and quality. There are also opportunities for a more systematic engagement with the divisions of Plant Production and Protection, Animal Production and Health, and Markets and Trade, as well as with the FAO Investment Centre and other relevant technical units, and at country level with farmer field schools, school feeding programmes and nutrition education programmes. Better integration will also enable FAO to apply more systematically circular economy principles in its programmes, cater to the three dimensions of sustainability: economic, social and environmental. A strategy for inclusion of FLW in all four betters could also be envisaged to promote holistic mainstreaming.

5. Leverage the four accelerators: data, technology, innovation and complements

FAO should seize the opportunities offered by technical and policy innovations. The organization should consider the idea of an ‘acceleration zone’ at FAO headquarters to promote exchanges among staff in the Programme Priority Areas and the accelerators, at headquarters, regional and country levels. A repository of impactful approaches to reduce FLW would help mainstream this work across FAO and beyond. Thanks to its neutrality and in-house technical expertise, FAO is well positioned to deliver unbiased evidence on the effectiveness of different technologies.