03-October-2024-Editorial

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF AWARENESS OF FOOD LOSS AND WASTE (IDAFLW) 2023: IMPORTANCE FOR FOOD SECURITY AND ENVIRONMENT

The world marks the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW) annually on 29th September to highlight the serious issues surrounding food loss and waste.

According to the 2023 Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report, nearly 30% of global food production is either lost or wasted, which could otherwise feed millions.

This is a pressing concern, particularly for countries like India, where significant food loss occurs due to inefficient post-harvest practices. Reducing food loss and waste (FLW) is crucial for food security, environmental sustainability, and economic stability.

Key Terms:

Food Loss:

• Refers to the reduction in food quantity or quality intended for human consumption.
• Caused by inefficiencies in the supply chain, such as poor storage, transport, and handling, or external factors like natural disasters.

Food Waste:

• Refers to edible food discarded due to spoilage, oversupply, or individual consumer habits.
• Often results from improper shopping, overproduction in markets, or large portion sizes in restaurants.

Food Wastage:

• Encompasses both food loss and food waste, representing the total food deteriorated or discarded at any point in the supply chain.

The International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW):

• Established by the UN General Assembly in 2019 to raise global awareness and encourage action on FLW.
• Aims to mobilize efforts to reduce food loss and waste in alignment with SDG Target 12.3, which seeks to halve food waste and reduce food loss by 2030.
• The initiative is also connected to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, emphasizing that reducing FLW is a crucial part of the solution to environmental challenges.

Implications of Food Loss and Waste (FLW):

Food Security:

• Studies estimate that 29% of the global population faces moderate to severe food insecurity.
• FLW significantly reduces the availability of food, worsening hunger and malnutrition, particularly in low-income and vulnerable populations.

Environmental Consequences:

• Wasted resources: Food loss leads to the wastage of vital resources like land, water, energy, and labor used in production.
• Carbon emissions: Annually, food waste generates approximately 3 billion tons of CO2, contributing to climate change.
• Water wastage: The water wasted on uneaten food is comparable to the annual flow of the Volga River.
• Land usage: Around 4 billion hectares of agricultural land is used to grow food that ultimately gets wasted.
• Energy consumption: Nearly 38% of global energy is used to produce food that is later lost or wasted.

Methane Emissions:

• Landfills filled with food waste release methane, a potent greenhouse gas contributing significantly to global warming.

Impacts:

• FLW leads to financial losses for producers and higher prices for consumers.
• The economic cost of food loss is significant, reinforcing inequalities and inefficiencies in food production and distribution systems.

Food Loss and Waste in India:

Post-Harvest Losses:

• India loses food worth Rs 1.53 lakh crore (USD 18.5 billion) annually, according to a 2022 NABCONS survey.
• The losses include 5 million metric tonnes of cereals and 2.11 million metric tonnes of oilseeds.
• Around 9 million metric tonnes of horticultural crops are lost every year due to inadequate cold chain infrastructure.

Causes of Losses:

• The Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) highlights that the majority of losses occur during harvesting, threshing, drying, and storage due to limited mechanization.
• Poor storage facilities account for approximately 10% of food grain losses, as per the Indian Grain Storage Management and Research Institute (IGSMRI).

Food Waste in Restaurants and Households:

• Restaurant food waste stems from oversupply, overproduction, and customers ordering more food than they can eat.
• UNEP estimates that Indian households waste 50 kg of food per person annually, totaling over 76 million tonnes of food waste.

Importance of Reducing FLW in India:

Climate Change:

• Reducing food wastage could lower GHG emissions by 5 gigatons of CO2 equivalent, comparable to removing emissions from 2.7 billion cars.
• Addressing FLW can reduce the strain on natural resources and help more food reach people in need.

Food Security:

• With over 74% of India’s population unable to afford a healthy diet, reducing FLW could ensure food reaches more people, addressing hunger and malnutrition.

Economic Efficiency:

• By improving post-harvest management, India can enhance productivity, reduce waste, and increase farmer incomes, creating a more resilient agriculture sector.

India’s Initiatives to Combat FLW:

• Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana: Aims to reduce food loss by promoting food processing and preservation infrastructure across India.
• Cold Chain & Agro Processing Clusters: Supports local cold storage infrastructure and processing units to minimize losses.
• Save Food, Share Food, Share Joy Initiative: Led by the FSSAI, it focuses on preventing food wastage and redistributing surplus food.

Solutions to Reduce FLW:

• Promote Mechanisation: Encouraging the use of mechanized tools like combine harvesters can reduce on-field losses, especially in paddy cultivation.
• Improve Storage & Packaging: Shifting to modern solutions like solar dryers and airtight packaging can curb spoilage during storage and transport.
• Redistribute Surplus Food: Collecting excess food from restaurants and events and redistributing it to the needy can reduce both hunger and waste.
• Adopt New Technologies: Using mobile food processing units, better logistics, and e-commerce platforms can bridge the gap between production and consumption.

Conclusion:

Reducing food loss and waste is essential for ensuring food security, mitigating climate change, and improving economic efficiency in India. With appropriate technological advancements and policy measures, India has the potential to significantly reduce food wastage and move towards a sustainable future.