Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the V0 version of the HLPE report Food Losses and Waste in the Context of Sustainable Food Systems. Our comments are related to fisheries.
In some types of fisheries there are problems with discards. This is a type of food waste that should be avoided. FAO has developed guidelines on this issue: International Guidelines on Bycatch Management and Reduction of Discards (adopted by the Committee on Fisheries at its 29th session in 2011): http://www.fao.org/docrep/015/ba0022t/ba0022t00.pdf. This issue ought to be included in the final report.
We would also like to underline the importance of quality standards throughout the production chain. As regards waste in fisheries, an important aspect relates to the handling of catches at an early stage. In order for the end-user product to remain food as long as possible, it is important to ensure quality standards also prior to industrial processing.
In order to proceed in this important field of study, it is important to develop harmonized methods for measuring food losses and food waste.
Norwegian Ministry of Trade, Industry and FisheriesHenrik Weisser