Globally, 14 percent of food valued at an estimated USD400 billion is lost from harvest up to, but not including retail (FAO, 2019). Seventeen percent more is wasted at the retail and consumer levels (UNEP 2021).

Actively preventing and reducing food loss and waste.

Food loss and waste (FLW) currently represent a pressing challenge in the design of sustainable food systems. FLW negatively impact food security and nutrition and significantly contribute to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, environmental pollution, degradation of natural ecosystems and biodiversity loss, and represents a waste of resources used in food production.

Tackling food loss and waste is a defined target- SDG target 12.3 - within the internationally agreed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As custodians of this target, FAO and the United Nations.Environment Programme (UNEP) measure and monitor progress on efforts to reduce food loss and waste against the Global Food Loss and Waste Index.