868. The 4th International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste

September 29, 2023 marks the 4th year of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste designated by the United Nations. In Japan, food that is produced but not consumed is often referred to as food loss, but globally, food loss is divided into two types, depending on the stage at which the food is lost: food loss (food lost before reaching retail) and food waste (food discarded by retailers and consumers). Food loss (food lost before reaching retail) and food waste (food discarded by retailers and consumers) are two different types of food loss. When referring to both, as in the case of today's International Day of Awareness, we use the terms food loss and food waste.

The FAO International Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW) website provides the following overview of why reducing food loss is important for transforming agri-food systems. 

Reducing food loss and waste is critical to transforming agri-food systems for several compelling reasons. By 2022, between 691 and 783 million people will be at risk of hunger, highlighting the urgent need to address food security. Currently, about 13 percent of the world's food is lost in the pre-retail supply chain, and another 17 percent is wasted at home, in food service, and at retail.

Reducing food loss can play an important role in transforming agricultural systems by increasing food availability and contributing to food security, healthy diets and resilience. Reducing food loss can also serve as an important climate strategy to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In doing so, it can help countries and businesses raise their climate ambitions while conserving and protecting the ecosystems and natural resources on which the future of food depends.

Target 12.3 under Goal 12 of the SDGs is to halve global per capita food waste at the retail and consumer levels, and reduce food losses in production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses. Goal 16 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), adopted in December 2022, also calls for "halving global food waste by 2030."
 
Accelerating action to reduce food loss to achieve SDG 12.3 and the food waste reduction targets set by the GBF is urgently needed to positively impact the pace of change in agriculture and food systems, with tangible benefits for the people and the planet.
 

Reference
FAO. Technical Platform on the Measurement and Reduction of Food Loss and Waste.  https://www.fao.org/platform-food-loss-waste/flw-events/international-day-food-loss-and-waste/en  Accessed on Sep 28, 2023.

Contributor: SHIRATORI Akiko (Information and Public Relations Office)