Food loss in a hungry world, a problem?

Abstract

Mainly in developing countries, food loss and waste is a problem that is difficult to measure. Investigations have been conducted in industrialized countries; however, consistent evidence of how much is really being depleted is limited. The accessible data give the illusion of evidence, but are supported by very restricted facts. In recent years, food waste and loss have gained importance because more than 35% of food is wasted. Nevertheless, with this percentage of food, most of the 800 million people that go hungry every day in the world could be fed. This reflection paper aims to describe the different approaches and meanings of food waste, food loss and food wastage. Similarly, this article identifies the phases of the food supply chain where food is being lost and wasted. Based on the available data, developed and developing countries are compared. It was concluded that, in developed countries, the most important losses are in the consumption phase; in developing countries, the losses take place in the growing and harvesting phase. Changing consumption habits as well as the improvement of cropping and harvesting processes could be an option for reducing this problem, especially in developing countries.

Understanding Food Loss and Waste—Why Are We Losing and Wasting Food?

“…With the absence of storage infrastructure and inaccessibility to or non-existence of cold storage facilities, highly perishable products are often discarded generating FL. Good storage conditions, which can properly control light, moisture, oxygen level, sanitation, and temperature, help reduce FL of perishable products [74]. Foods such as grain can be better stored if drying facilities are optimized [75,76].…”

“…At this stage, considerable FL is produced due to legislation restrictions on the appearance of fruits and vegetables [80]. FL also occurs during cleaning, inspection, processing, and packaging processes, and in conforming to food safety standards [74,81]. Overproduction of processed food, especially refrigerated foods with short shelf life, is one of the major causes of food waste [63,82].…”

El hambre: abordaje desde la seguridad alimentaria hasta el derecho a la alimentación

“…Combatir el hambre requiere generar la intervención al sistema agroalimentario en la producción, la comercialización y la disminución de pérdidas en ambas fases, así como la educación de la población urbana y rural (Aguilar y Santiago, 2017). La educación al consumidor es necesaria pues el desperdicio de alimentos se presenta principalmente en el consumo (FAO, 2012;Martínez et al, 2014). Con relación a la producción de alimentos, ésta debe estar enfocada al logro de objetivos sociales, ambientales y nutricionales, privilegiando el trabajo de familias campesinas y otros sectores de la cadena (Bernabeu-Mestre et al, 2010), quienes han sido los más afectados por el hambre.…”

Rural development thinking, moving from the green revolution to food sovereignty

“…Another interesting issue in that discussion is the food wasted worldwide. Sometimes market requirements pursue the creation of consumption habits, which have resulted in a significant food loss, mainly in developed countries (Martínez, 2014). Ortega and Rivera (2010), described five Principles of Food Sovereignty.…”