While global hunger is on the rise, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has estimated that one-third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year — approximately 1.3 billion tons — is lost or wasted. Response to the problem of food waste at all social levels has varied hugely including campaigns from advisory and environmental groups and concentrated media attention on the subject. Let’s see what two international experts in food management have to say on this topic.
What are the main reasons for this food waste?
“In developing countries, most food losses occur in the initial stages of the supply chain, while food waste at the consumer level is more prevalent in developed countries. For developing countries, some of the main reasons are, but are not restricted to: lack of appropriate storage facility; restricted access to technical support; shortage of required supplies; lack of adequate harvest containers; barriers to bringing their harvest to the market. For developed countries, where the food waste is generated in the commercialization and consumption stages, products that do not meet the “required standards” are discarded but more losses occur as a result of product consumption. The trend of “eating healthy food” has led consumers to eat more fresh produce which, in turn, generates more residues that end in the cities´ landfills. Another reason is global warming and changes in the climatological patterns.”
What are the main consequences of this statistic?
“In my opinion, one of the biggest consequences of food waste and loss is directly related to the nutrition of the world population, since worldwide it is estimated that there is a loss of fruit and vegetables of 21.6%, thus limiting access to a balanced diet rich in vitamins and minerals. Another consequence, no less important, is the negative impacts of food waste and loss on the climate, especially the use of water, soil and biodiversity. This situation could lead to more economic and social pressures, especially in those regions of the world where inadequate access to water persists. Then, the briefly stated consequences are related to the nutritional, environmental and economic aspects.”
“The main consequences are first: environmental whereby, from the consumers’ point of view in developed countries, the organic residues in landfills generate greenhouse gases (main methane) which rank in the third position due to their global warming potential. Secondly, there is an economic consequence whereby small and medium-sized farmers in developing countries experience great losses which obviously this namely hits their finances. In some regions of the planet, basic indexes such as life expectancy are very low. In other words, food shortage (hunger) hits everyone in such poor countries. The cost of public health in poor countries is very high (and the required funds are usually not provided by governments). Hunger hits all generations and makes the population more vulnerable to diseases. The intellectual index of populations hit by hunger has a tendency to be lower than that of well-fed populations.”
What can the international community do to reduce food waste?
“Not only should the international community take action in this situation, it is also a responsibility for local and national governments, agricultural producers, processors, consumers, academics and scientific research centers around the world and, of course, the private sector, among others. At the country level, each of the above-mentioned actors must contribute systematically in the formulation of coherent and sustainable public policies over time, aimed at improving the food and nutritional security of the population of their respective countries, under a scheme of environmental sustainability. The international donor community should emphasize, in its programs and proposals, support for national governments in technical assistance for strengthening public institutions directly related to food security, promoting sincere and frank dialogue between public and private sectors, to gradually reduce the loss and waste of food. A very concrete proposal in which the international community should take action is the development of general and voluntary guidelines to reduce the loss and waste of food at the farm level, during storage, in transit, in supermarkets and in the homes of the consumers.”
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