{"id":55515,"date":"2025-09-29T20:36:51","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T15:06:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=55515"},"modified":"2025-09-30T13:01:15","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T07:31:15","slug":"food-loss-and-waste","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/29-09-2025\/food-loss-and-waste","title":{"rendered":"Food Loss and Waste"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/SDGs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>On September 29, the world observes <strong>the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>In 2019, <\/strong>the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming an <strong>International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>SDG 12 <\/strong>seeks to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Target 12.3<\/strong> aims to \u201chalve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains\u201d by 2030.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is Food Loss and Waste?\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Food wastage<\/strong> includes edible and inedible parts discarded from the food supply chain, from manufacturing and retail to restaurants and households.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Food loss <\/strong>occurs <strong>earlier in the supply chain<\/strong> due to issues such as poor storage, transport and handling.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Scale of Food Loss and Waste<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Global:<\/strong> An estimated 13% of food \u2013 the equivalent of 1.25 billion tonnes \u2013 was lost globally after harvest and prior to reaching retail shelves in 2021 (FAO, 2023).\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An estimated 19% of food \u2013 the equivalent of 1.05 billion tonnes \u2013 was wasted in households, food service and retail in 2022 (UNEP, 2024)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Households account for 60% of global food waste (UNEP, 2024).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>India: <\/strong>India\u2019s position as <strong>one of the highest food-wasting nations,<\/strong> second only to China.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>While the per capita household food waste in India (55 kilograms annually) is lower than other countries, India\u2019s large population represents an immense volume of wasted food.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Post-harvest losses cost ~\u20b91.5 trillion annually (~3.7% of agricultural GDP).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Reasons for the Food Loss and Waste<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Harvesting Inefficiencies:<\/strong> Premature or delayed harvesting leads to the quality &amp; quantity loss.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mechanisation Gaps:<\/strong> Limited access to harvest machinery causes damage &amp; spillage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pest &amp; Disease Attacks:<\/strong> Inadequate pest control\u00a0 leads to crop spoilage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Inadequate Infrastructure:<\/strong> Shortage of cold chains, warehouses, moisture-proof silos leads to the rotting\/decay of the food items.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Transport Bottlenecks:<\/strong> The road infrastructure is not robust and there is a lack of refrigerated transport support.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cultural Practices:<\/strong> There is a preference among people for fresh produce and avoidance of produce with blemishes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Household food waste<\/strong> arises from over-purchasing, poor meal planning, limited storage, and cultural habits of cooking in excess.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In urban areas, retail losses stem from<strong> poor refrigeration and short shelf life.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Concerns of Food Loss and Waste<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Complex Challenge in India:<\/strong> An estimated 78 million tonnes of food are discarded each year, even as over 20 crore Indians go to bed hungry.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>As one of the world\u2019s largest food producers, India faces a complex challenge: abundant production alongside persistent food insecurity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Direct GDP Loss:<\/strong> In India, food wastage and loss is estimated at \u20b91.5 trillion annually of GDP loss which can be avoided through more efficient and resilient food systems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Farmer Incomes: <\/strong>It leads to reduced profitability due to spoilage and wastage of produce.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Green House Gas Emissions: <\/strong>Even modest percentage losses in cereals, particularly paddy, translate into more than 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2)-equivalent emissions annually, owing to the <strong>high methane intensity<\/strong> of rice.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Losses of livestock products are equally damaging because of their <strong>heavy resource footprint.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Burden on government schemes: <\/strong>The food wastage also has a cascading impact on the government food security schemes such as Public Distribution System, nutrition missions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Loss of Resources: <\/strong>The production of these food crops is a cumulative result of proper water supply, energy, fertilizer, land and labour.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The food lost is equivalent to the wasted water, energy, fertilizer, and land etc.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Initiatives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY): <\/strong>Its objective is to enhance food processing infrastructure to reduce post-harvest losses and improve farmers&#8217; incomes.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Components:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Establishment of mega food parks and cold chain facilities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Support for agro-processing clusters and food testing labs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Credit-linked capital subsidies for micro food processing units.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Indian Food Sharing Alliance (IFSA):<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Implementing Agency: <\/strong>Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Purpose: <\/strong>Promote food donation and reduce food waste across the supply chain.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Connects food businesses, NGOs, and citizens to facilitate safe redistribution of surplus food.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Zero Waste, Zero Hunger Initiatives: <\/strong>Tinsukia Municipal Board&#8217;s program in Assam.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Approach: <\/strong>Collects surplus, hygienic food from hotels and restaurants.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Repackages and distributes it to homeless individuals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Promotion of Food Recovery Campaigns: <\/strong>&#8220;Save Food, Share Food, Share Joy&#8221; campaign by FSSAI.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It encourages citizens and businesses to donate surplus food.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Provides a platform for food recovery agencies to coordinate efforts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>MoFPI co-ordinates with FFSAI<\/strong> on various issues related to quality and standards for the processed food products.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Food loss and waste is not only an issue of efficiency but also of <strong>climate justice, sustainability, and equity.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For India, tackling it offers a <strong>triple dividend<\/strong> \u2014 enhancing food security, strengthening farmer livelihoods, and advancing climate commitments.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The International Day of Awareness on Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW) underscores that saving food means saving resources, protecting the climate, and ensuring dignity for farmers and consumers alike.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/opinion\/op-ed\/what-an-empty-plate-of-food-should-symbolise\/article70106079.ece#:~:text=Saving%20food%20means%20saving%20the,meal%20enjoyed%2C%20not%20resources%20squandered.\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Context<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">On September 29, the world observes the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW).<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>About<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">In 2019, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming an International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW).<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">SDG 12 seeks to ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/29-09-2025\/food-loss-and-waste\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55515"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":55517,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55515\/revisions\/55517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}