food losses footprint highlights
DESCRIPTION
Reducing food wastage footprint is crucial to conserve natural resources as a basis for food security Food wastage assessment should include the socio-environmental impacts in order to fully understand the cost and benefit of reduction options, and investment requirements Environmental issues and related social costs (e.g. health, public mitigation costs) must be considered for efficient food loss reduction strategies, they do have an “hidden” cost born by society at large. © FAO: http://www.fao.orgTRANSCRIPT
Natural Resources and Environment Department11 December 2013
Food losses footprint highlights
Food Wastage FootprintImpact Drivers
2
Agricultural production
Processing
Distribution
Consumption
End of life
Postharv. handling and storage
Input
Input
OutputPollution (GHG emissions, fertilizer run-off, landfill leakages,…)
Direct use of natural resources (water, land, energy,…) increasing scarcities
Indirect use of natural resources via the manufacturing of inputs and the machinery
CO2
3.7 Gt CO2eq/year=
3rd largest emitter if food wastage was a country
Food Wastage FootprintYearly Environmental Impacts
250 km3/year=
3 times Geneva lake
66% of endangered/vulnerable species threatened by
food production
1.5 billion ha to grow food which ends up
lost/wasted=
28% of agricultural land36 EJ/ Year
=½ USA Energy
production/ Year
Origins of the environmental impacts Value Chain
Environmental impacts arise all along the agriculture value chain
4
Sources of food wastage (stages 1 to 5) and sources of environmental impacts (stages 1 to 6) in the food life cycle.
Agricultural production
Processing
Distribution
Consumption
End of life
Postharv. handling and storage
1
3
4
5
6
Distribution
Consumption
End of lifeAgriculturalproduction
2
Postharvest handling and storage
Processing
Origins of the environmental impactsValue Chain
The agricultural phase is always the most impacting phase
5
45,4%
4,6%4,8%
27,8%
17,4%
Carbon footprint at consumption phase with respective contribution of embedded life-cycle phases
Agricultural production
Postharvest handling and Storage & Processing
Distribution
Consumption
End-of-Life
Origins of the environmental impacts
Wastage volume/footprint relationship is not linear
Cereals and fruits contribute to 52 % and 18% of total water footprint
Animal product have high footprints
6
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Cereals (excluding beer)
Starchy roots Oilcrops & Pulses Fruits (excluding wine)
Meat Milk (excluding butter) & Eggs
Vegetables
Commodity 1 Commodity 2 Commodity 3 Commodity 4 Commodity 5 Commodity 7 Commodity 8
% o
f tot
al
Contribution of each commodity to food wastage and blue water footprint
Food wastage Blue water footprint
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Cereals (excluding beer)
Starchy roots Oilcrops & Pulses Fruits (excluding wine)
Meat Milk (excluding butter) & Eggs
Vegetables
Commodity 1 Commodity 2 Commodity 3 Commodity 4 Commodity 5 Commodity 7 Commodity 8
% o
f tot
al
Contribution of each commodity to food wastage and blue water footprint
Food wastage Blue water footprint
Commodities
Origins of the environmental impactsGeography
Depending on the region, the commodity footprint differs
7
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
12%
14%
16%
Ind. Asia * Cereals
S&SE Asia * Cereals
Ind. Asia * Veg.
Ind. Asia * Meat
Europe * Veg. NA&Oce * Meat
LA * Meat Europe * Meat
Europe * Cereals
S&SE Asia * Veg.
% o
f tot
al
Top 10 of "region * commodity" pairs for carbon footprint + contribution to food wastage volume
Contributing to 60% of total carbon footprint and 39% of total food wastage
Carbon footprint Food wastage volume
Origins of the environmental impactsFootprint Hotspot Example
Loss of cereals in South/South East Asia emerges as a significant hotspot
CO2
rice and wheat
8
Food LossParticularities
9
Usually at the beginning of the value chain due to pre and post harvest capacity issues :
• Unforseen climatic events
• Lack of agronomy capacity (pest control, proper harvesting techniques,…)
• Lack of proper storage facilities
• Lack of processing units
• Lack of distribution infrastructure
More linked to developing countries where process and market value chains are less developed
Loss usually touches the most vulnerable and the ones who can not afford to have a reduced access to natural resources
Food Loss Food Security
10
Food Loss = double negative effect on food insecurity
Less food available for consumption
Increased scarcities of Natural Resources at the basis of production
Direct impact on availability
Food Loss Inverted Pyramid
Food LossReduce
Improving management and infrastructures
Example: Solar technology to reduce food loss
FOOD LOSS REDUCTIONSOLAR DRYERS
SOLAR REFRIGERATORS
PASTEURIZER UNITS
In a West Africa project, one dryer= 3.75 tons of mangoes saved= 0.86 tCO2eq saved= 1 133m3 saved= children saved through less Vitamin A deficiency
Food LossReuse
Reusing for food or feed
Gleaning
Parker Farms in Oak Grove, Virginia, USA, volunteers collect up to 900 kg of produce/day = 2 173 kgCO2eq and 85 000 m3 of water
"The biggest value to the farm is that product that was raised for the purpose
of consumption, is consumed" Rod Parker, general manager,
Food LossRecycle/Recover
143 kg CO2eq
236 kg CO2eq
Food Wastage Footprint Balancing Act
15
Importance local full cost-benefits analysis
Conclusions
Reducing food wastage footprint is crucial to conserve natural resources as a basis for food security
Food wastage assessment should include the socio-environmental impacts in order to fully understand the cost and benefit of reduction options, and investment requirements
Environmental issues and related social costs (e.g. health, public mitigation costs) must be considered for efficient food loss reduction strategies, they do have an “hidden” cost born by society at large
16
THANK YOUhttp://www.fao.org/nr/sustainability/food-loss-and-waste/en/