13/02/2022
FOOD WASTE AND FOOD LOSS
Food waste is defined in different ways by institutions and within the specialized literature. There is not, in fact, any standardized definition of the phenomenon, or any homogeneous and comparable data.
Food losses, meaning the losses that occur upstream of the food supply chain, mainly during the sowing, cultivation, harvesting, processing, preserving, and first agricultural transformation stages; - Food Waste, meaning the waste that takes place during industrial processing, distribution, and final consumption.
In an analysis carried out in 2011 by FAO, annual global food waste is estimated to be about 1.3 billion tons, equivalent to about a third of the total food production intended for human consumption.
There are numerous causes of losses and waste, and they are differentiated according to the various stages of the food supply chain.
In developing countries, the most significant losses are concentrated at the first part of the food supply chain, primarily due to limits in the cultivation, harvesting, and preserving techniques, or due to a lack of adequate transportation and storage infrastructures.
In industrialized countries, the largest proportion of waste occurs at the final stages of the food supply chain (household consumption and restaurants and food service establishments, in particular)
However, even in these countries, the losses recorded at the agricultural stage are not negligible (due to sizing and esthetic standards, product quality regulations, production surpluses, or economic factors). For example, in Italy in 2009, 17.7 million tons of agricultural produce was left in the fields, representing 3.25% of total production
CAUSES OF FOOD WASTE
Limits on the distribution system
Errors in order forecasting and management of reserves
Deterioration of products and packaging
Marketing and sales strategies
Technical limits and limits on processing and production processes
CAUSES OF FOOD LOSS
Limitations on agricultural techniques and transportation and storage infrastructure
Climate and environmental factors
Production surpluses
Compliance with regulations and standards
Technical limits and limits on processing and production processes
IMPACTS OF FOOD WASTE AND FOOD LOSS
1. TO THE ENVIRONMENT
• Greenhouse gas emissions: The production of food that will not be consumed needlessly uses up natural resources, generates greenhouse gas emissions, and creates waste. In order to assess the environmental impact of a food product, we need to take into consideration its entire life cycle, tracing each step throughout the food supply chain. We can take three indicators into account: carbon footprint, ecological footprint, and water footprint
• Soil degradation: The water footprint or virtual water content is a specific indicator of the use of fresh water and is devised to convey both the actual quantities of water resources used and the way the water is used. In the case of food production, the water used in the industrial production stage is taken into account, as well as the evapotranspiration of irrigated agriculture
• Energy consumption
2. TO THE ECONOMY
• Cost/Value of the food wasted
According to the classic school of economic theory, the value of a good is proportional to the resources that are necessary to produce it. Therefore, the economic impact could be estimated as the “value that is lost with waste,” using a calculation criteria that includes the costs of obtaining the individual goods
• Value of the negative externalities produced
According to the neoclassical school of economic theory, the value of a good does not depend on the production cost, but on its utility, represented by the price at market. Therefore, the economic impact of waste could be estimated using “the price of the individual goods” as a calculation criterion
Opportunity-cost of farmland
The opportunity cost of the area of land used for the production of food that is not consumed, the estimate of the economic impact increases further. The opportunity cost should be, in fact, a value at least equal to the best alternative use of the land (such as construction potential, quantified.
Less food loss and waste would lead to more efficient land use and better water resource management with positive impacts on climate change and livelihoods.
Reducing food loss and waste is critical to creating a Zero Hunger world and reaching the world’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially end Hunger and ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
For many people on the planet, food is a given. But for the staggering more than 820 million people who are hungry, food is not a guarantee. We should aim to increase respect for food, as well as for the farmers who produce it, the natural resources that go into producing it and the people who go without it.
Weight Loss & Food Intolerance Food Loss Food Waste Food Loss and Waste Food Lovers Fat Loss System Fat Loss For Food Lovers Slim Society - Fat Loss, Food & Fitness Post-harvest Loss Reduction_NG PHS Fagro - Post Harvest Solutions BFAR Post Harvest - Palawan National Post Harvest Center Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, Government of India FAO Kenya UN Environment Programme Concern Worldwide Farm Concern International TechnoServe One Acre Fund DigiFarm.pk
