Global Initiative
on Food Loss and Waste Reduction
Camelia Bucatariu
Policy Development Consultant
Rural Infrastructure & Agro-Industries Division (AGS)
FOOD LOSS AND WASTE REDUCTION
IN SUPPORT OF FOOD AND NUTRITION
SECURITY & SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS
Food and Nutrition Security Workshop
Windhoek, Namibia
21-23 July 2014
Food and Agriculture Organization
Of the United Nations
Structure

Global setting




Zero Hunger Challenge
CFS – HLPE
Post – 2015
FAO AND SAVE FOOD PARTNERS
 Terminology
 Figures & facts
 Food and nutrition security
 Corporate and partnership strategy
 Recovery and re-distribution: food banks, cooked meals,
fresh produce
 Key suggestions
Turn the vision of an end to hunger into a reality
2012 Rio+20
Zero Hunger Challenge
A vision
An invitation to action
A means to unite all
FAO and UNEP
5th element co-chairs
Recognizes interconnectedness of
worlds’ food systems and impact on
poverty, hunger, malnutrition, natural
resources and climate
Post-2015 development Agenda –
Sustainable Consumption and Production
Overview of engagements to date
Turn the vision of an end to hunger
into a reality
2012 → 2014
 Committee on World Food Security (CFS)
request to the High Level Panel of Experts on
Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE)
 Report on Food losses and waste in the
context of sustainable food systems
 inform Plenary discussions – October 2014
Food losses and waste in the context of
sustainable food systems – July 2014
Causes: consequences of how food systems function → technical, cultural,
economic → require an integrated & interrelated perspective → feasible and
sustainable solutions → prioritize actions
A. micro-level → each stage of the food supply chain, from production to
consumption level → result from actions or non-actions of individual actors of the
same stage, in response (or not) to external factors
B. meso-level → include secondary causes or structural causes → can be found
at another stage or result from how different actors are organized; of relationships;
or infrastructures etc. → can contribute to the existence of micro-level causes.
C. macro-level → malfunctioning food system → lack of institutional or policy
conditions to facilitate coordination of actors, adoption of good practices and
enable investments → favour all other causes → major reason for global extent
Food losses and waste in the context of
sustainable food systems – July 2014
Recommendations
 States & international organizations better integrate food supply chains &
systems perspectives in all food security and nutrition strategy or action
 Reduction of FLW → systematically considered & assessed as potential
means to improve agricultural & food systems efficiency and sustainability
→ improved food security and nutrition
 Undertake four parallel mutually supportive tracks, in an inclusive and
participatory manner:
1. Improve data collection and knowledge sharing on FLW
2. Develop effective strategies to reduce FLW, at the appropriate levels
3. Take effective steps to reduce FLW
4. Improve coordination of policies and strategies in order to reduce FLW
FAO efforts towards common terminology
Throughout supply
chains in
industrialized,
emerging & DCs
Food loss
Food loss
and waste
qualitative &
quantitative
Food waste
 Spilled, spoilt, lost (mass)
 Incurs reduction in quality
(e.g. macro- &
micronutrients)
 Unintended result of
processes or institutional/
legal framework
 Discarded (mass)
 Fit for human
consumption (from
primary production to fork)
 Results from negligence
or conscious decision
1.3 billion -tonnes
( 1 300 000 000 000 kg )
1/3 of food produced in the world gets lost or wasted
(FAO, 2011)
1 / 3
Quantitative estimations:1.3 billion tons
Sub-Saharan Africa
net food production
(230 mil tons)

Grain losses in Sub-Saharan Africa could total
$4 billion (source: WB, NRI, FAO, 2011)
Industrialized
countries consumer level FW
(222 mil tons)
Industrialized
countries > 40% FL at retail and
consumer level
Developing
countries > 40% FL at post-harvest
handling and processing
Global FLW by commodity
Source: FAO. 2011. Global food losses and food waste
FLW and carbon footprint
Contribution of each commodity to food wastage and carbon footprint
40%
35%
30%
% of total
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Cereals
(excluding beer)
Starchy roots
Commodity 1
Commodity 2
Oilcrops & Pulses Fruits (excluding
wine)
Commodity 3
Commodity 4
Food wastage
Meat
Fish & Seafood
Milk (excluding
butter) & Eggs
Vegetables
Commodity 5
Commodity 6
Commodity 7
Commodity 8
Carbon footprint
Source: FAO. 2013. Food wastage footprint: Impact on natural resources
FLW reduction

Increased food availability → more efficient than increasing only
production

Food gets lost when:
→ Production exceeds demand & supply chain inefficiencies
→ Large quantities displayed & wide range of brands in supply

The Private Sector can reduce FLW at significant scale
→ invest & act

The Public Sector
→ R&D and guidance
→ enabling environment
Global Initiative on FLW Reduction
(SAVE FOOD)
Assessment
methodology
levels
causes
impacts
Evidence-based
policies
strategies
programmes
Awareness/capacity
development
dissemination
Global
Community of
Practice (CoP)
Coordination and collaboration in partnerships with public and private sector
FAO working group (HQ & Regional Offices)
Beneficiaries: the global agricultural and food system stakeholders
Primary production
Post-harvest handling
Processing
Distribution
By–products and waste management optimization
Sales
Consumption
SAVE FOOD pillar
Evidence-based policies, strategies, programmes
REGIONAL OFFICES
Latin America & The Caribbean
Sub-Saharan Africa
Asia & The Pacific
Eastern Europe & Central Asia
North Africa & The Near East
LIAISON OFFICES
Europe & The EU
North America & The World Bank
Japan
United Nations
COUNTRY OFFICES
FAO – UNEP
Prevention
andVersion
reduction
Guidance
1.0
of food and drink waste in
Prevention and
and reduction
of food
businesses
households
and drink waste in businesses
and households
Guidance for governments, local authorities, businesses and other
organisations
Guidance for governments, local authorities,
businesses and other organisations
FAO – UNEP Guidance Version1.0
FAO –
FAO – UNEP
Guidance
Version1.0
UNEP
Guidance
Version1.0
Food supply: HO-RE-CA sector, farmers markets, street vendors
Industrialized, emerging, and developing countries
Drivers: Socio-economic, Environmental, Technological, Regulatory
Expression of the drivers through: skills, behavior, motivation, habits
FW
• Planning
• shop list, meals, budget
FW
• Purchasing
• over-buying, portion size (option to choose) vs need, marketing,
preferences i.e. shape, colour, date marking
FW
• Storage at household level
• sub-optimal facilities, temperature, packaging, date marking
FW
• Preparation
• sub-optimal use of the resource, portioning
FW
• Utilization efficiency
• leftovers, preferences, skills for food handling, behavior
Lack of consumer awareness of quantitative FW
Data sources: kerbside waste (garbage, recyclables and green organics), local
authorities residual wastes, compositional analysis, kitchen/consumer diaries,
Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC)
Recovery and re-distribution of cooked meals –
example from Portugal (European Union)
Recovery and re-distribution of cooked meals –
example from Portugal (European Union)
The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN)
The Global FoodBanking Network (GFN)
 Assess community and country-wide food assistance needs and
available resources
 Recruit business, faith, community, and government leaders to
engage with or design the food banking system
 Develop partnerships with grocery products and other industries to
enhance food banking service delivery
 Provide planning and technical support
 Share logistical, operational and technology support
 Promote best practices, expertise, and training resources
 Assure food bank compliance with food safety standards
Egyptian Food Bank
Feeding
Programs
Organize Charitable
Work
Development
Programs
Awareness
Programs
School Feeding
Sustainable
Monthly
Programs
School Feeding
Educational
Programs
Seasonal Programs
Ramadan
Odheya Program
Vocational
Rehabilitation and
Micro enterprises
Behavioral
Awareness
Mega Project
Food Wastage
Awareness For
Hotels and
Restaurants
Volunteering
Programs
Families
Volunteering
EFB Generation
Program
Corporate
volunteering
Odheya Program
Universities
Volunteering
EFB is ideal for Relief Programs & was present in times of Accidents and nature Disasters
EFB Reached all Egypt Governorates
Activity
2006
Monthly
Feeding
(Dry Food)
10,000
Seasonal
Feeding During
Ramadan
Odheya Meat
(families
reached)
2010
2011
2012
2013
120,000
150,000
180,000
210,000
50,000
750,550
1,000,000
1,200,000
36,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
1,500,000
Canned Meat
with Vegetables
60,000
8,500,000
12,000,000
15,000,000
Volunteers
2,964
45,000
45,000
47,000
1,500,000
1,800,000
20,000,000
47,000
Key messages
 Coordination, collaboration & partnership for concrete action
(public sector, private sector, and civil society)
 Reduction of FLW increased food availability for sustainable
consumption and production
food production
more efficient than increasing only
 Workig Groups Session – focused discussion on:
1. How to facilitate a fitting national regulatory framework: strategy, legislation,
policy, plans?
2. How to incentivize an efficient system? How to recover and redistribute safe
and nutritious surplus from production to consumption? Concrete tools and
programmes.
3. How do we organize our dialogue? How to facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogue
and hot to integrate the different levels from local to national
4. How to get ready: Criteria for programme implementation on town level?
Global Initiative
on Food Loss and Waste Reduction
Thank you
www.fao.org/save-food
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Food and Agriculture Organization
Of the United Nations