The Think.Eat.Save Guidance Version 1.0 is a new tool developed by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) from UK for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The Guidance V1.0 is part of SAVE FOOD Initiative and FAO-UNEP Sustainable Food Systems Programme. It is focused on designing effective food waste prevention programmes with governments, local authorities, private companies, institutions and civil society – for the retail, hospitality and food service supply chains.

Interested in piloting the Guidance V1.0? Please contact [email protected]

SAVE FOOD linked OzHarvest (Australia), Stop Wasting Food movement Denmark, DariAcordar (Portugal) and Society of St Vincent de Paul-Portland Council (USA) to facilitate know-how transfer. Collaboration and coordination of worldwide initiatives on food loss and waste reduction is one of the 4 pillars of SAVE FOOD.

An estimated 1.3 billion tonnes of food are lost per year – to about one-third of all food produced. This figure includes post-harvest fish losses, which tend to be greater in small-scale fisheries. Improved handling, processing and value-addition methods could address the technical aspects of this issue, but it is also vital to extend good practices, build partnerships, raise awareness, and develop capacity and relevant policies and strategies.

A new cross-cutting project “Meeting urban food needs” has been launched by FAO (Strategic Framework) focusing on the efficiency, sustainability and inclusiveness of local systems feeding urban areas and on the role of local government authorities. Ample academic partnership opportunities exist.
See the official news in:  Rural Infrastructure and Agro-Industries Division

Cross- and sector-specific initiatives to reduce waste and increased efficiency of natural resources use are encouraged by the EU Stakeholder Dialogue Group on Food Sustainability in a Joint Declaration on Actions towards a more sustainable European food chain.

The change recently proposed to the EU’s Agriculture and Fisheries Council, seeks to limit the amount of food unnecessarily thrown away by Europeans due to misunderstandings about what the “best before” labels actually mean. The letter was drafted and supported by the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, Denmark, Germany and Luxembourg delegations to the EU.

Article by Ben Cooper where Robert van Otterdijk (FAO Agro-Industry Officer) talks about SAVE FOOD food loss research methodology.

Food is simply too good to waste. Even the most sustainably farmed food does us no good if the food is never eaten.

Main focus of this workshop was valorisation of what is presently defined by FAO (2013) as food waste from the perspective of the three “Rs” (reduce, reuse and recycle). Camelia Bucatariu (FAO Policy development Consultant) presented on Prevention and reduction of food loss and waste in support of sustainable food systems.