We are all responsible for food loss and waste to one degree or another, and we all know we should do better to prevent it. Whether ordering too much in a restaurant, over-preparing meals in our own kitchens or blemished fruits and vegetables poorly stored and tossed out by fresh food markets, the loss and waste is hard to miss.
The good news is that we are finding and implementing improvements that not only reduce food loss and waste, but also improve lives and livelihoods at the same time.
One example that stands out is working directly with food sector companies in the Kingdom of Thailand. It was discovered that, while tackling food loss and waste was on the radar screen of big corporations in the food sector, it wasn’t much of a priority for those in Thailand’s micro, small and medium sized enterprises. Indeed, in Thailand, MSMEs account for approximately 91 percent of food processing operations.
In response, with the support of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), Government of Japan, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), set out to track food loss and waste across five processing subsectors in Thailand: animal products, dairy products, fishery products, rice products and snack foods. In collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand and Mahidol University, research teams collected a comprehensive set of qualitative data covering some 195 MSMEs in 66 out of 77 provinces. This enabled the identification of critical loss points in processing and distribution operations and the underlying cause of food waste in retail sectors. The qualitative survey data was used to inform the selection of a group of 25 representative MSMEs, who then received hands-on training in good practices to measure and reduce food loss, as well as simple items of equipment to support their reduction of food loss and waste.
This hands-on training led to some real-world benefits and positive impacts for these people and their families, and their micro, small and medium sized business. While the training and new know-how reduced food waste, it in turn provided a 17 percent improvement in their incomes.
On the technical side, the core group of newly trained MSMEs reported reductions in both qualitative and quantitative food loss in processing and distribution operations. That in turn resulted in better-quality products with a longer shelf life. Together, with improved product storage, this also contributed to reducing food waste in retail.
Furthermore, due to improved processing, monitoring and better quality control of raw material and finished products the group achieved reductions of some 25 percent in animal products lost and 55 percent loss reduction in fisheries products.
Over the longer term, these improvements should continue to help boost economic returns for these smaller businesses. A draft national strategy has also provided a guide to taking forward the efforts to reduce food loss and waste in MSMEs in Thailand, building on the evidence and institutional capacities developed through this project. Ultimately, this work stands to improve incomes for food processers and retailers, promote the availability of high-quality local foods for consumers, and contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from landfill sites.
While these are tangible and impactful outcomes to prevent food loss and waste in Thailand, we can all do more to help. For example, a ‘best before date’ or BBE, doesn’t mean the food or product must be thrown out by that date, it just means it’s freshest if you consume it within that time. We can all better and more thoughtfully prepare our meals.
Finding better ways to reduce food loss and waste is core to FAO’s Strategic Framework as it helps achieve better production (eliminating losses), better nutrition (nutritious food in not wasted), a better environment (reduction in landfills) and a better life for all.
3. Good health and well-being, 12. Responsible consumption and production, 13. Climate action
