{"id":85861,"date":"2026-09-29T18:13:25","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T12:43:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=85861"},"modified":"2026-09-29T18:14:47","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T12:44:47","slug":"food-loss-waste-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/29-09-2026\/food-loss-waste-day","title":{"rendered":"International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus:&nbsp; GS3\/ Economy\/ Agriculture<\/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>The International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste is observed every year on <strong>September 29<\/strong> to promote awareness and collective action to reduce food loss and waste.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Food Loss and Food Waste<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Food loss <\/strong>refers to the reduction in the quantity or quality of food during production, post-harvest handling, storage, processing and transportation, before it reaches retail.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Food waste<\/strong> refers to food discarded at the retail, food-service and household levels, including food that is still suitable for consumption.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Status of food wastage in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>As per UNEP Food Waste Index Report 2024<\/strong>, the estimated food wastage in India in 2022 is 55 kg\/capita\/year in India, lower than the global average of 79 kg\/capita\/year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Concern:<\/strong> India ranks <strong>102 out of 123<\/strong> countries in the <strong>Global Hunger Index 2025.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Around<strong> 12% <\/strong>of India\u2019s population is <strong>undernourished<\/strong>, which is approximately <strong>~170\u2013175 million<\/strong> people.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Globally <strong>1.05 billion tonnes <\/strong>of food is wasted each year. Around <strong>60%<\/strong> of food waste occurs at the household level, followed by <strong>food services (28%)<\/strong> and <strong>retail (12%).<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Impact of Food Loss and Waste<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Nutritional security:<\/strong> Food losses diminish the food available for consumption and unnecessary waste aggravates food insecurity and hampers efforts to promote nutrition.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Economic losses:<\/strong> Post-harvest losses affect farmers\u2019 incomes, raise the expenses of the supply chain and reduce the returns on investments in agricultural production.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Environmental degradation:<\/strong> Food loss and waste also means loss of land, water, energy, fertilisers and other resources utilised in its production.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Climate change:<\/strong> Decomposing organic waste in landfills generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas, contributing to global warming.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges in Tackling Food Loss<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Inadequate infrastructure:<\/strong> Gaps in cold chains, storage, transport and processing increase post-harvest losses.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Data gaps:<\/strong> Limited data on retail, food-service and household waste hinders effective policymaking.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Limited finance: <\/strong>High costs and inadequate credit restrict adoption of modern loss-reduction technologies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fragmented approach:<\/strong> Multiple sectors and institutions lead to uncoordinated interventions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Poor waste segregation: <\/strong>Mixed waste reduces the potential for composting, biogas and resource recovery.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Initiatives to Reduce Food Waste<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Food Security and Distribution: <\/strong>The <strong>Public Distribution System<\/strong> ensures the distribution of subsidised food grains to vulnerable populations.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The<strong> Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana<\/strong> has expanded food access during times of crisis and economic distress.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF):<\/strong> Provides medium-to-long-term debt financing for post-harvest management projects, including warehouses, silos, and cold storage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana<\/strong> aimed at creating modern infrastructure for food processing and preservation.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Mega Food Parks:<\/strong> Clusters that link agricultural production to markets through high-tech supply chains.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Integrated Cold Chain: <\/strong>Providing preservation facilities like refrigerated transport and cold storage to reduce spoilage of perishables.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Operation Greens: <\/strong>Focused on stabilizing the supply and reducing waste of crops like Tomato, Onion, and Potato (TOP).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Market Reforms: <\/strong>The <strong>e-NAM<\/strong> facilitates better price discovery and reduces inefficiencies in agricultural markets.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Measuring Food Loss: <\/strong>India has conducted<strong> three nationally representative post-harvest loss assessments, <\/strong>covering 45, 45 and 54 commodities during<strong> 2005\u201307, 2012\u201314 and 2020\u201322, respectively.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>These assessments, conducted by the<strong> Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), <\/strong>provide evidence on losses across the agricultural supply chain, from farms to retail.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) <\/strong>are working to connect food-loss hotspots with climate-resilient technologies and facilitate financing for small and medium enterprises.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Global Best Practices<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e9edec\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"943\" height=\"502\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/09\/image-224.png\" alt=\"global best practices\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-85862\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e9edec; aspect-ratio:1.8786036272145927;width:509px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/09\/image-224.png 943w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/09\/image-224-300x160.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/09\/image-224-768x409.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 943px) 100vw, 943px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India\u2019s food wastage is a symptom of systemic inefficiencies in the production, distribution and use of food while hunger remains.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Addressing this issue is essential for <strong>improving food security, resource efficiency, and sustainability.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is also critical for achieving <strong>SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) <\/strong>and <strong>SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production)<\/strong>, making food waste reduction a key developmental priority.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/opinion\/op-ed\/tackling-food-loss-and-waste-indias-opportunity\/article71520804.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste is observed every year on September 29 to promote awareness and collective action to reduce food loss and waste. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> Food Loss and Food Waste <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> \u00a0Food loss refers to the reduction in the quantity or quality of food during production, post-harvest handling, storage, processing and transportation, before it reaches retail. <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Food waste refers to food discarded at the retail, food-service and household levels, including food that is still suitable for consumption. <\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/29-09-2026\/food-loss-waste-day\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/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-85861","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\/85861","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=85861"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85861\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85867,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85861\/revisions\/85867"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}