An international partnership led by the World Resources Institute has launched a free, global standard to enable organisations of all sorts to track and reduce food waste.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that a third, by weight, of all food produced in the world is wasted. This reduces food security, wastes resources, creates unnecessary negative impacts (such as greenhouse gas emissions), and amounts to a huge financial loss for food producers and the food industry.
Efforts to reduce food waste (technically referred to as 'food loss and waste', or FLW) have been hampered by the absence of any standard definition of what counts as FLW, and no agreed, consistent ways of measuring and reporting it. The new FLW standard aims to fill that gap.
It is designed so that it can be used by different types of entity, such as countries, cities, companies, or other organisations. It allows them to develop inventories of how much FLW is generated and where it goes. These inventories can underpin and shape strategies for minimizing FLW.
The standard provides methods for consistent quantification, allowing organisations to establish baselines and monitor progress, for example towards Target 12.31 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, as well as other targets.
Find out more about Sustain's policies for a greener, fairer food system here.
Published Friday 17 June 2016
Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
