Reducing Food Losses and Waste
Reducing Food Losses and
Waste in Asian Countries for
Improved Food Security and
Agri-food Chain Efficiency
Rosa S. Rolle, Ph.D
Senior Agro-Industries and Post-harvest Officer
FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Save Food Asia-Pacific Campaign
– Raise awareness and draw attention to the high levels of food losses and the growing problem of food waste across Asia and the Pacific Region.
– Promote partnerships, and advocate for strategic approaches and actions to reduce food losses and waste and increase sustainable consumption in the region.
– Launched on 28 August 2013 during a High Level Multi-stakeholder Consultation, convened in Bangkok.
A Regional Campaign that seeks to:
“With the Save Food Asia-Pacific Campaign, we pledge to work together and create regional and national multi-stakeholder networks toward reducing food losses along the supply chain and fight the growing problem of food waste.”
Awareness Raising and Advocacy
– Development of Save Food Networks: • National
• A Regional
– Education and awareness in schools and universities
– Public service announcements
– Development and distribution of promotional materials in local languages across the region.
Countries
• Launched in Mongolia, Thailand
• To be launched in: – SAARC countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka)
– ASEAN countries - Indonesia, Malaysia, Viet Nam, Singapore, Laos
Wa
Modern and Traditional Supply Chains Operate in
Parallel Across the Region
Farmer Groups
Supermarkets
Institutions Food Service Sector
Export
Farmers
Collectors
Wholesalers
Retailers and Street Vendors
Mass Market
Higher Income
Consumers
Contracts
L O S S E S
W A S T E
Waste
Fresh Produce on Display in Supermarkets and in Wet Markets
Reasons Why Consumers Waste Vegetables Case of the Philippines
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Forgot to eatPoor qualityForgot to cookOver bought Others Forgot to eatPoor qualityForgot to cookOver bought Others
Wet market shoppers Supermarket shoppers
Re
spo
nd
en
ts (
%)
Cabbage
Pechay
Eggplant
Squash
Carrot
Tomato
Onion
Potato
Bittergourd
Lack of meal
planning?
Wet market shoppers Supermarket shoppers
A Majority of Consumers Waste Less than 5 % of Their Vegetable Purchases
Case of the Philippines
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Lessthan 5%
5-10% 11-20% Morethan20%
Lessthan 5%
5-10% 11-20% Morethan20%
Wet market shoppers Supermarket shoppers
Re
spo
nd
en
ts (
%)
Cabbage
Pechay
Eggplant
Squash
Tomato
Onion
Potato
Carrot
Bitter gourd
String beans
Consumer Attitudes Toward Fruit and Vegetable Waste Case of the Philippines
0
10
20
30
40
50
Wet market buyers Supermarket buyers
Re
spo
nd
en
ts (
%)
Not at all
Only a little
Fairly bothered
Moderately bothered
Too much botheres
Source – FAO-RAP Study, 2013
CAPACITY BUILDING TO REDUCE POST-HARVEST LOSS IN GMS COUNTRIES FUNDED UNDER THE FAO TECHNICAL COOPERATION PROGRAMME (TCP)
Methodology
• Stakeholder sensitization and surveys
• Market surveys
• Training of trainers
• Pilot demonstrations
• Documentation of results
• Dissemination of results
• Consolidation of feedback
• Policy recommendations for Governments
Traditional System Improvements Introduced
Papaya Supply Chain - Laos
Commonly Used Transport System for Papayas
60 % Loss Reduction with Improved Packaging
Traditional Tomato
Supply Chain -
Cambodia
Improvements Introduced
85 % loss reduction with the introduction
of plastic crates
Banana Supply Chain – Viet Nam
Traditional Improved
48 % Loss Reduction with Improved Handling and Packaging Practice
Issues • No reward for quality in mass markets. • Access to finance to procure crates. • Proper management and maintenance of plastic
crates. • Widespread adoption of improved practice will
hinge greatly on an improved enabling environment – policy brief under development.
Requirement (Billion USD)
%
Primary crop production 1,684 57 Downstream support services
• Cold and dry storage
• Rural and wholesale markets
• First stage processing
1266 305 280 682
42.9 24
22.2 58.8
Cumulative Investment Requirements for East Asia - 2005/07 to 20501
1Source: Capital Requirements for Agriculture in Developing Countries to 2050. FAO Rome (2009) (All numbers are in 2009 US$ values)
Thank you
www.savefood.net