INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
a food system that delivers on planetary
health and human health," said Geeta
Sethi, Advisor and Global Lead for Food
Systems at the World Bank, adding: "But
to know what is a policy priority for a
country, and therefore investments and
interventions that are needed, requires
good data and evidence. This platform is
very relevant."
THE PLATFORM AT A GLANCE
The platform is as a gateway to all
FAO food loss and waste resources,
including: the largest online collection
of data on what food is lost and wasted
and where; discussion forum on food
loss reduction; examples of successful
initiatives; e-learning courses; food loss
and waste policy brief in the wake of the
Covid-19 pandemic; and tips on what
everyone can do to reduce food waste.
It also connects to related portals
from development partners, serving as a
one-stop shop for all food loss and waste
knowledge. The consolidated platform
was made possible thanks to funding from
the Swiss Development Cooperation.
WHY REDUCE FOOD LOSS
AND WASTE?
Reducing food loss and waste can
bring about many benefits: more food
available for the most vulnerable; a
reduction in greenhouse gas emissions;
less pressure on land and water
resources; and increased productivity
and economic growth.
To make this happen, the FAO
Director-General and partners called for
applying innovation – both technological
and operational – for example, finding
technological solutions for post-harvest
management, new ways of working
together, better food packaging - as
well as relaxing on regulations and
standards on aesthetic requirements for
fruit and vegetables; better consumption
habits; government policies aimed at
lowering food wastage like guidelines to
redistribute safe surplus food to those in
need through food banks; and building
alliances, including outside of the food
sector, for example, with climate actors.
FAO believes that interventions
like informing the public to reduce
food waste, investing in supply chain
infrastructure, training of farmers in best
practices, and reforming food subsidies
that unintentionally lead to more
food losses and waste are a bargain
compared to other measures.
Fixing the negative cycle of food loss
and waste would bring the world closer
to the 2015 Paris agreement target
of limiting global heating to below
2°C. For example, cutting food loss by
25% would offset the environmental
damage that would be caused by
future land use for farming. It means
not having to destroy more forests with
devastating consequences for climate
change and biodiversity to produce
more food.
Technological innovations can also
tackle undesirable environmental
impact while saving food. In Kenya and
Tanzania, for example, solar-powered
cooling technology for chilling milk
-through a project supported by FAO and
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale
Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) – helped prevent
milk losses without creating any additional
greenhouse gas emissions. The same
technology saves three million litres of
water per year in Tunisia.
FOOD LOSS AND WASTE
EXPLAINED
Food is lost when it is spoilt or spilled
before reaching the final product or
retail stage. For example, dairy, meat,
and fish can go bad in transit because
of inadequate refrigerated transport and
cold storage facilities.
FAO estimates that 14% of food is
lost this way, valued at USD400 billion
FAO and World Resources Institute
About a third of all food production goes to waste globally.
annually. In terms of greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions, the food that is lost is
associated with around 1.5 gigatonnes
of CO 2
equivalent.
Losses are higher in developing
countries, for example, 14% in sub-
Saharan Africa and 20.7% in Southern
Asia and Central Asia, while in
developed countries, for example,
Australia and New Zealand, they
average at about 5.8%.
Major losses are in roots and tubers
and oil-bearing crops (25%), fruits and
vegetables (22%) and meat and animal
products (12%). Food is wasted when it
is discarded by consumers or is disposed
of in retail owing to its inability to meet
stringent quality standards, or quite often
due to a misunderstanding of the date
marking on the product.
Food waste measurement is a
complex issue. We know, however, that
food that never gets eaten represents a
waste of resources, such as labour, land,
water, soil and seeds, and it increases
greenhouse gas emissions in vain. CLA
COLD LINK AFRICA • October 2020 www.coldlinkafrica.co.za 11