Reduction of Food Loss and Waste – The Challenges and Conclusions for Actions

Abstract

The global food system is malfunctioning, leaving large segments of the population undernourished or malnourished, and causing large environmental damage. Food losses in the production, processing and market- ing parts of the food systems are part of the problem. Food wasting at the retail, household and restaurant levels is a serious problem too. The analyses and calls for action in this volume are motivated by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) No. 12, i.e. Ensuring sustainable consumption and production patierns, and specifically, “By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses”. This brief provides findings and Recommendations for Actions of an international Conference by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences with the Rockefeller Foundation.