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Collaboration Initiative on Food Losses & Food Wastes launched at MACS-G20

Reducing food losses & food wastes (FLW) is a key global challenge to ensure sufficient and healthy food for the future and to use available resources – arable land, water, nutrients, energy, labour – as efficiently as possible.

Background & Objective

Radical reduction of food losses and waste (FLW) is a crucial issue to ensure global food security and to use the available resources in the best manner possible. Not for nothing United Nations identified FLW reduction as Goal 12.3 of Sustainable Development Goals.

Hence at MACS Meeting 2015 in Izmir (Turkey) the G20 States decided to place emphasis on FLW. Germany was charged with developing relevant activities. First step was the establishment of an appropriate web portal with information about current research activities, latest innovations and available scientific expertise.

But only collecting and documenting information isn’t enough. In fact G20 States should unite their strong potentials and make significant contribution to real progress. So as next step a joint MACS initiative is scheduled pooling promising research findings, innovative technological and logistical solutions, successful campaigns etc. concerning FLW reduction. Goal is to organize "touchable" progress.

Germany coordinates the bi- and multilateral activities of the initiative. For further information please contact Dr. Felicitas Schneider at Thünen Institute of Market Analysis.

Web portal regarding FLW research & experts

Registration at the web portal is open to experienced persons working in the field of food loss and waste prevention at any point of the whole food supply chain. Registration is free of charge. Aim of the platform is to provide direct contact to experts on FLW on a global scale.

MACS driven web portal global-flw-research.org

Annual reports of the Collaboration Initiative

Our joint activities as well as updates from collaborating countries related to food loss and waste are summarised in our annual reports which you can download on the right. The reports are published at the end of each calender year.

In case you are interested to receive our annual reports automatically, you are welcome to contact our coordinator Felicitas.

Joint activities at the Global Forum of Food and Agriculture 2024

"Reducing food loss and waste" was one of the central themes of the 16th Global Forum of Food and Agriculture (GFFA) which took place in Berlin from January 18th to 20th, 2024. Our Collaboration Initiative FLW was very active - together with cooperation partners, we held an Expert Panel, organised an exhibition stand - and were invited as key note speaker to another Expert Panel organised by the European Food Banks Federation (FEBA).

The Parliamentary State Secretary at the German Ministry of Food and Agriculture visited our exhibition stand were we presented activities from A like Australia to Z like Zimbabwe. A huge number of our cooperation partners contributed to display the variety of food loss and waste challenges and solutions: banana losses in Sri Lanka, urban circular food systems in Brazil, storage pests in Germany, streetmarket FW in Zimbabwe, persimmon harvest losses in Spain, a set of social innovations to reduce FW in Europe, reduction of by-catch in the Baltic Sea, redistribution of surplus food in Europe, fruit and vegetables losses due to private marketing standards in Germany, Spain and Italy and voluntary agreements in wholesale, retail and food service sector in Germany. 

Our Expert Panel "From global strategies to local implementation in preventing FLW" took place on January 19th, 2024. It was organised in close cooperation with the Global Research Alliance on Agricultural Greenhouse gases (GRA), the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) and thinkstep-anz. Aim of the panel was to show opportunities how to connect high-level policy and on the ground practice involving multiple actors. About 90 multinational participants followed the discussions on-site and online. A summary and the video recordings of this Expert Panel can be found here. The presentations of Dr Chanjief Chandrakumar (thinkstep-anz/GRA), Dr Felicitas Schneider (Thünen Institute), Dr Gustavo Porpino (Embrapa) and Sharon Mada (Thünen Institute) provided insights into climate impacts of FLW, an overview on the Collaboration Initiative FLW activities from global to local level, details on the Brazilian Cities and Food project and results from household food waste in Zimbabwe

Our key note address was part of the Expert Panel "From farm to food donation. How to maximise the potential of preventing harvest losses to ensure food security?" provided the framework for the lively discussion performed by Chris Hill from FoodCloud, Adolfo Villafiorita from Shair.Tech and Eva Sali from Copa*Cogeca. Rosa Rolle from FAO FLW team concluded the panel related to unexplored and unexploited potential to reduce food losses in primary production in context to food redistribution. A summary and the video recordings of this Expert Panel can be found here.

We would like to thank everyone involved in our joint GFFA activities! Please explore also the photos below.

Workshops for joint FLW action

Annual FLW workshops are organised by our Collaboration Initiative since 2017. The first one was targeting G20 members to collect needs how to best support their activities towards food loss and waste prevention. According to the findings from 2017, the following annual regional FLW workshops are dedicated to the respective G20 presidency country and the neighbouring region.

The aim of our workshops is to support the delivery of SDG Target 12.3, halving food waste at retail, food service and household level, and reducing food loss across the supply chain as well as to facilitate the cooperation and network building among countries in the region. The topics are annually selected according to relevant local challenges in close cooperation with regional partner organisations. The programme follows our strategy to enhance knowledge exchange and structured discussion among our participants in order to support action. In most cases our workshops consist of plenary sessions, working group sessions as well as field trips. Stakeholders along the food supply chain from agriculture (e.g., farmers, farmer associations) to waste management, businesses, research, policy makers (local, regional, national government), NGOs, consumer (associations), social organisations (such as food banks, etc.) are welcome to participate and share their valuable experiences. The participation in our workshops is free of charge.

Below you can find detailed information on each workshop, such as agenda, summaries, resulting agreements, presentations, photos and videos. Enjoy!

1st FLW workshop, June 2017, Berlin/Germany

Successful MACS driven activities concerning FLW reduction require both a coherent strategy and its well-considered implementation. As announced at MACS Meeting 2016 in Xi’an (China), this perennial process started with a kick-off workshop of interested MACS partners in June 2017 in Berlin.

2nd FLW Workshop, November 2018, Buenos Aires/Argentina

Thus, the second FLW workshop was organised in November 2018 in Buenos Aires/Argentina. The Argentinian Secretary of Agroindustry, FAO Latin America and the Caribbean, FAO Argentina, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA) and Thünen Institute organised the side event “Regional Dialogue on Food Loss and Waste: Latin American solutions and initiatives” that was embedded within the FAO event “Week of Food and Agriculture”.

In plenary and working group sessions several issues of food loss and waste were presented and discussed among the approx. 50 participants from eleven Latin American and Caribbean countries. The participants represented a very good mix of policy decision makers, food producers, NGOs, international associations and researchers.

At the end of the workshop, the “Call to Buenos Aires Action on Food Loss and Waste” was signed by all organisers and by representatives from the Interamerican Development Bank, the Consumer Goods Forum as well as the Global Food Banking Network (english version, spanish version of the call). By signing this Call the participants underlined their strong commitment for future joint cooperation and support of food waste prevention activities in the region.

3rd FLW Workshop, October 2019, Tokyo/Japan

The "International Workshop on Food Loss and Waste Prevention targeting Southeast and East Asian region" as third event of the series took place in Tokyo from October 16th to 18th, 2019. It was implemented together with UN Environment’s programme of regional capacity building workshops on FLW and the FAO´s World Food Day 2019. The organisation team included the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries of Japan as the presidency holder of 2019 MACS-G20, FAO Japan, UN Environment and Thünen Institute.

The aim of the workshop was to support the delivery of SDG Target 12.3, halving food waste at retail and consumer level, and reducing food loss across the supply chain as well as to facilitate the cooperation and network building among countries in Asia with respect to sharing knowledge and experiences in measuring and reducing FLW at all levels. It provided guidance on setting baselines and measuring progress on FLW, defining a national strategy on FLW reduction, developing effective actions targeting households and the supply chain, and using FLW to raise ambition on greenhouse gas reduction in the 2020 Nationally Determined Contributions revision.

In total, 78 participants from Japan, Singapore, China, Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, Republic of Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia and Germany as well as from FAO and UNEP attended the workshop at United Nations University Headquarters (UNU Centre, Tokyo). A workshop summary is provided to the public for further inspiration and networking.

Please find the presentations as links embedded to the following agenda.

October 16th, 2019
14:30 - 17:30                              

Excursion
To Sumitomo Bakelite Co. Ltd.

18:00 – 19:20

Symposium as World Food Day Event
organised by Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), World Food Program (WFP) and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

19:30 – 20:50

Welcome reception
organised by FAO, IFAD, WFP and Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) with contribution of Mr. Nakamura (FAO National Goodwill Ambassador for Japan)

October 17th, 2019 (Elizabeth Rose Conference Hall, 5th floor)
chair: Mr. Shunichi Honda (UNEP)
9:00 - 09:30                                           

Welcome address
by Mr. Yoshihisa Hishinuma (Director-General, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Research Council Secretariat, MAFF/Japan)
Mr. Masa Iwanaga (Chair of 2019 MACS-G20/Japan)
Mr. Shunichi Honda (Programme Officer, International Environmental Technology Centre/UNEP)
Mr. Charles Boliko (FAO LOJ Director)
Mr. Stefan Lange (Research Director of Thünen Institute/Germany)

09:30 – 09:50

Keynote speech“Background of the Promulgation of the Act on Promotion of Food Loss and Waste Reduction in Japan”
by Ms. Toshiko Takeya, Member of the House of Councillors, the National Diet of Japan; Secretary-General of the Parliamentary League for reducing food loss and supporting food banks

09:50 – 11:20

Session 1: FLW measurement and reporting
“SDG 12.3 and the Food Waste Index” (Ms. Clementine O´Connor/UNEP)
"Definition and subcategories of food waste" (Ms. Tomoko Okayama, Taisho University/Japan)
“Food losses and food waste in China: A first estimate” (Ms. Chong Li, China Chain Store & Franchise Association /China)

11:20 – 11:35Coffee break
11:35 – 13:05

Session 2: Household Food Waste
“The Myth of Best-Before dates - Possible Countermeasures to Reduce Food Loss and Waste” (Ms. Rumi Ide, CEO of office 3.11, inc. and Journalist/Japan)
"Review of household food waste sorting analyses in Japan" (Mr. Hajime Yamakawa, Kyoto Prefectural University/Japan)
interactive session lead by Mr. Kohei Watanabe, Teikyo University/Japan, Mr. Hajime Yamakawa, Kyoto Prefectural University/Japan, Ms. Tomoko Okayama, Taisho University/Japan

13:05 - 13:15Group photo
13:15 - 14:00Lunch
October 17th, 2019 (Elizabeth Rose Conference Hall, 5th floor)
chair: Ms. Anuda Tawatsin (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment/Thailand)
14:00 – 15:30                                               

Session 3: Legal challenges and policy options
"Legal and policy framework on food waste in Japan and consequences in practice" (Mr. Tomio Kobayashi, Aichi Institute of Technology/Japan)
“Legal compliance with FLW prevention in hotel and resorts business” (Ms. Jie Zhao, SANDS/Macao, link to Sustainability Report 2018 on pages 9, 10, 12, 20, 23 and 27)
“Legal compliance and Implementation of the Circular Economy for Food Waste Reduction & Handling in Macao and Hong Kong” (Mr. Warren Man Ho Li, Ultra Clean Waste Services Limited/Macao)

15:30 – 16:00Coffee break
chair: Mr. Kohei Watanabe (Teikyo University/Japan)
16:00 - 17:00

Session 4: poster session
venue: Committee Room 2+3 (next to Elizabeth Rose Conference Hall)

“Utilisation of food waste to animal feed – the example of ecofeed” (Mr. Tomoyuki Kawashima/University of Miyazaki/Japan)
“Hydrothermal decomposition changes food waste to liquid fertilizer” (Mr. Kiyoshi Ozawa/Meiji University/Japan)
“Demonstration objects foldable doggy bags” – (Mr. Tomio Kobayashi/Aichi Institute of Technology/Japan)
“EcoBuy – food waste reduction at consumer and retailer” (NTT Docomo/Japan)
“Productivity improvement project using weather and demand forecasting” (Japan Weather Association/Japan)
“Recycling system for Food loss and waste in rural community” (Ms. Tomoko Ichida, Meiji University/Japan)
“Utilisation of food waste to livestock feed” (Mr. Koichi Takahashi, Japan Food Ecology Center/Japan)
“Reducing food loss and waste in Japan” (Ms. Hiroko Miura and Mr. Yuji Sato, MAFF/Japan)
Participants will split into smaller groups and attend first a 5 minutes presentation directly at the poster of their interest before detailed discussion with poster contributors start.

17:00 – 18:30

Session 5: Post-harvest losses – challenges and perspectives in East and Southeast Asian countries
initial presentation: “Research overview of technologies to smartize the whole food value chain to contribute the prevention of food loss” (Mr. Yutaka Ishikawa, NARO/Japan)
presentations for group working:
“Horticultural Chain Management in South-East Asian Countries” (Ms. Rosa Rolle, Nutrition and Food Systems Division/FAO)
“Food Loss Indicator” (Ms. Carola Fabi, Statistics Division/FAO)

October 18th, 2019 (Elizabeth Rose Conference Hall, 5th floor)
chair: Mr. Stefan Lange (Thünen Institute/Germany)
09:00 - 09:30                                          

Session 6: Adressing Food Waste in the food service sector
initial presentation: “Survey on methods to reduce food loss and waste for sports events” (Ms. Hiroko Miura, MAFF/Japan)
presentations for group working:
“Experiences of FLW prevention in Chinese restaurants” (Mr. Xueyou Chu, Inner Mongolia XiBei Catering Group Co., Ltd/China)
“Semi-automatic recording of FW in restaurants” (Mr. Maxime Pourrat, Winnow Solutions/Singapore)

10:30 - 11:00Coffee Break
11:00 - 12:30

Session 7: National Stategies on Food Loss and Waste
"Elements for national strategies on FLW" (Ms. Clementine O´Connor/UNEP)
"Thai Strategy on FLW" (Ms. Anuda Tawatsin, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment/Thailand)

12:30 - 13:30Lunch
chair: Mr. Kohei Watanabe (Teikyo University/Japan)
13:30 – 14:30

Session 8: Facilitating cooperation and network building on Food Loss and Waste in the region
"APEC regional network on FLW" (Ms. Ching-Cheng Chang, Institute of Economics, Academia Sinica/Taiwan; Coordinator of the APEC-FLOWS Initiative on Food loss and waste)
Facilitated discussion on what is needed to strengthen regional cooperation on FLW in Asia.

14:30 – 15:00

Wrap up and closing remarks
by organising partners (MAFF, UNEP, FAO, Thünen Institute)

 

 

Pictures from 3rd FLW Workshop, October 2019, Tokyo/Japan

4th FLW Workshop, October 2020, hybrid, Saudi Arabia

The "Regional Food Loss & Waste Workshop" as fourth event of the series took place as hybrid event hosted in Riyadh on October 15th, 2020. The organisation team included the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture of Saudi Arabia as the G20 presidency holder of 2020 as well as Thünen Institute.

The 65 participants from Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Lebanon, Egypt, Bahrain and Germany as well as from the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) represented the scientific community, companies, interest groups as well as authorities.

The aim of the workshop was to provide impetus for the establishment of regional networks and cooperation along the value chain to facilitate further monitoring of food loss and waste and im-plementation of prevention measures in Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Particular emphasis was placed on the link between food security and food waste, business models for prevention, the contribution of households to the topic and the role of an unbroken cold chain as well as reliable infrastructure. Participants also reported on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the food supply chain in their countries and the measures taken to secure the supply and avoid unused surpluses. Special emphasis was placed on the cultural characteristics of the region, such as the joint celebration of large festivals, which lead to above-average amounts of surplus food. In addition to technical solutions to the special challenges posed by the region´s climate, the conference therefore called for awareness-raising measures for all stakeholders.

The host country Saudi Arabia is the only one in the Gulf region that has already published a baseline for the amount of food waste generation in 2019. Other countries in the region now want to follow this example and benefit from Saudi expertise.

Please find the agenda as well as the presentations by session embedded in the following list. Some impressions of the hybrid event can be found in the photo gallery below.

Thursday, October 15th 2020
 
12:30 - 12:45

Opening session

 

Welcoming Address Chairperson of the G20-MACS 2020

Prof. Suliman Ali Al-Khateeb (Director General Plant Resources, Ministry of Environment, Water & Agriculture, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)

Introduction

Mr. Stefan Lange (Research director, Thünen Institute, Germany)

UNEP Overview of Food Loss & Waste Initiative

Mr. Sami Dimassi (Director and Regional Representative, West Asia Office, United Nations Environment Programme)

12:45 - 13:30Session 1. Food Losses & Waste Strategy to enhance Food Security
 

Moderator: Miss Arwa Numan (Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)

Food Waste and Loss: an integral part of achieving sustainable Food Security

Mr. Essa AbdulRahman AlHashemi (Head of Food and Water Security, United Arab Emirates)

Food Loss and Waste in the wheat value chain of Egypt, Jordan and Morocco

Dr. Yigezu Atnafe Yigezu (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA), Egypt)

Food Security Strategy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Eng. Abdullah AlRabiah (Saudi Grains Organisation (SAGO), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)

Discussion (15 min)

13:30 - 14:20Session 2. Strategies for fighting food waste in business sector
 

Moderator: Dr. Felicitas Schneider (coordinator FLW Collaboration Initiative launched at MACS-G20, Thünen Institute, Germany)

Challenges for Food Loss and Waste infrastructure and logistics in Gulf Cooperation Council countries

Mr. Najeeb Alhumaid (Farrelly & Mitchell Business Consultants Ltd.)

Measuring Food Waste at hotels and restaurants and economic benefit from prevention: The Food Waste Opportunity

Mr. Ignacio Ramirez (Winnow Solutions, United Arab Emirates)

Food Bank cooperation as a strategy to fight Food Waste

Mr. Amer AlDakhil (Secretary-General Specialized Council for the Preservation of Grace, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)

Discussion (20 min)

14:20 - 14:40Coffee break
14:40 - 15:30Session 3. Food Waste at Household level
 

Moderator: Miss Arwa Numan (MEWA, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)

Food Waste Index

Mrs. Clementine O´Connor (Programme Management Officer, UNEP)

Strategies for Food Waste Reduction at Household level

Mr. Tarik Ismail (Chief Executive Officer, Savola World)

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Food Loss and Waste Baseline

Dr. Mohammed S. Alamri (Saudi Grains Organisation (SAGO), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)

Discussion (20 min)

15:30 - 16:20Session 4. Panel Discussion on the role of Cold Chain in Gulf Cooperation Council region to consolidate food supply chain
 

Moderator: Mr. Stefan Lange (Thünen Institute, Germany)

Cold Chain Strategy to consolidate food chain in GCC countries

Mr. Abdullah Hamdan Al-Anazi (LuLu Saudi Hyper Market)

Cold Chain Strategy to consolidate food chain in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Prof. Salah Mohammed Aleid (King Faisal University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)

Discussion (30 min)

16:20 - 16:30Closing session
 

Concluding Remarks

Dr. Felicitas Schneider (Thünen Institute, Germany)

Closing Remarks

Prof. Suliman Ali Al-Khateeb (MEWA, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)

Pictures from 4th FLW Workshop, October 15th, 2020, Riyadh/Saudi Arabia

5th FLW Workshop, November 2021, virtual/Italy

The annual series of regional FLW workshops was continued on November 4th, 2021 and dedicated to the respective G20 presidency country - which was Italy in 2021 - and the neighbouring region. The organisation team included FAO Rome (Italy), UN Environment (France), University Bologna (Italy), University Tuscia (Italy), RSC talent (Spain) and Thünen Institute (Germany).

The aim of the workshop was to support the delivery of SDG Target 12.3, halving food waste at retail, food service and household level, and reducing food loss across the supply chain as well as to facilitate the cooperation and network building among Mediterranean countries. Due to the pandemic, the length of the workshop was shortened to a one day virtual meeting.

The topics therefore have to focus on selected issues which have been identified as relevant challenges within the region:

  • Food Loss in Primary Production
  • Food surplus and waste from tourism activities as well as
  • Addressing Food loss and waste in educational campaigns

As the Mediterranean region is characterised by the influence of three continents and corresponding culture, policy, infrastructure, legislation and climate conditions, we invited contributors from all three subregions (Northafrican coast, West Asian coast and Southeuropean coast) to share their valueable knowledge on FLW prevention. The programme followed our strategy to enhance knowledge exchange and structured discussion among our participants in order to support action. Each session consisted of introductory plenary presentations to provide input on the specific session topic followed by group working guided by key questions. A final plenary session was scheduled in order to allow a broader discussion of the interrelation of the three session topics and the context to other levels of the food supply chain and to summarise the results.

Please find here the agenda, the summary and some photos below on this page.

In total, 90 stakeholders from national and local policy makers, universities, private and public research institutions, social welfare organisations, food companies, waste management companies and consultants from 27 different countries joined us and shared their valuable experiences!

The presentations are embedded within the following agenda which can be unfolded by clicking!

November 4th, 2021
08:30 - 09:00                     

Participants online arrival

09:00 - 09:30

Welcome address

chair: Mr Stefan Lange (Thünen Institute/Germany)

Mr Stefan Lange (Research Coordinator of Thünen Institute/Germany)
Dr Benedetta Dell'Anno (Ministry of Ecological Transition/Italy)
Dr Rosa Rolle (Senior Enterprise Development Officer/FAO)
Ms Clementine O´Connor (UNEP)
Prof Andrea Segrè (Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University Bologna)
Prof Simone Severini (international relations, University Tuscia)
Ms Sonsoles Jiménez (RSC talent/Spain)

09:30 - 11:00

Session 1: Food losses in primary production

chair: Dr Rosa Rolle and Ms Carola Fabi (FAO Rome)

.) Food Losses in agricultural businesses – experiences from practice by Ms Sonsoles Jiménez (RSC talent/Spain)
.) Food Loss and Waste in the Wheat value chains of Egypt, Jordan and Morocco by Dr Yigezu Yigezu (ICARDA/Egypt)
.) Socio-Economic and Environmental Impacts Assessment on Farm Food Losses – examples from Northafrica by Dr Ali Abd Elrahman Abou Hashima Abd Elrahman (Faculty of Agriculture, Fayoum University/Egypt)

questions and answers

3 parallel working groups:
.) group 1A facilitated by Prof Katia Lasaridi & Dr Christina Chroni (Harokopio university/Greece)
.) group 1B facilitated by Ms. Sonsoles Jiménez (RSC talent/Spain)
.) group 1C facilitated by Dr Ron Porat & Dr Victor Rodov (Volcani Center, Department of Postharvest Sciences/Israel)

11:00 - 11:15                    

Coffee break

11:15 - 11:30                    

Wrap up of session 1 by working group moderators

11:30 - 13:00

Session 2: Food surplus and waste from tourism activities

chair: Dr Clara Cicatiello (University Tuscia/Italy)

.) Redirecting food surpluses from cruise ships – experiences from the European Food Banks Federation in European Mediterranean countries by Ms Angela Frigo (Secretary General, European Food Banks Federation)
.) Transforming Food Waste from Tourism to animal feed by Ms Fenia Galliou (School of Agricultural Science, Hellenic Mediterranean University/Greece)
.) Quantification of Food Waste from all-inclusive resorts - the case of Turkey by Dr Bendegul Okumus (Assistant Professor, UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management/USA)

questions and answers

3 parallel working groups:
.) group 2A facilitated by Ms Irene Ripamonti (Fondazione Banco Alimentare/Italy)
.) group 2B facilitated by Mr Stefan Lange (Thünen Institute/Germany)
.) group 2C facilitated by Dr Mohamad G. Abiad (Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, American University of Beirut/Lebanon)

13:00 - 13:45                    

Lunch break

13:45 - 14:00                    

Wrap up of session 2 by working group moderators

11:30 - 13:00

Session 3: Addressing Food loss and waste in educational campaigns

chair: Dr Claudia Giordano (University of Bologna, Italy)

.) Roll out Do Good: Save Food! educational materials in Albania, Macedonia, Croatia, Slovenia, Turkey and France by Ms Oksana Sapiga (FAO Europe and Central Asia) & Mr Thomas Candeal (International Food Waste Coalition/Belgium)
.) Impact of digital campaign on student perception and attitude toward food waste by Dr Sarra Jribi (Department of Agri-food Industries, National Institute of Agronomy of Tunesia/Tunesia)
.) Awareness raising campaign towards bread waste reduction – a private driven activity from Palestine by Dr Iman AlHirsh (Jerusalem center for Women, Jerusalem Suburbs Directorate Education/Palestine)

questions and answers

3 parallel working groups:
.) group 3A facilitated by Dr Laura Rossi (head of the food waste observatory, CREA/Italy)
.) group 3B facilitated by Dr Sharif Muhammad (Sciences and Technology Sector, The Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO)/Morocco)
.) group 3C facilitated by Dr Hanen Ben Ismail (Department of Agri-food Industries, National Institute of Agronomy of Tunisia/Tunisia)

15:30 - 15:45                    

Coffee break

15:45 - 16:00                    

Wrap up of session 3 by working group moderators

16:00 - 16:30

Session 4: Plenary discussion

chair: Ms Carola Fabi (FAO Statistics, Italy)

.) Discussing the outcomes of the sessions 1 to 3 in plenary round
.) Identification of urgent issues which should be addressed in the region

16:30 - 16:45                   

Wrap up, family photo and closing remarks

 

 

 

Pictures from 5th FLW Workshop, November 4th, 2021, Italy

6th FLW Workshop, October 5 to 6th, 2022, Yogyakarta/Indonesia

In 2022 we were kindly supported by the Indonesian MACS-G20 secretariat assisted by our colleagues from the Indonesian Center for Agricultural Postharvest Research and Development (ICAPRD), Stockholm Environmental Institute (SEI), Center for Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS), Simon Fraser University, FAO Indonesia and UN Environmental Programme in co-organising the 6th Regional FLW Workshop. The target region this year included the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) which are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.

The aim of the workshop was to support the exchange among regional stakeholders and enhance practical implementation with the following topics:

  • Recent Indonesian Initiatives to FLW

  • Food Waste in ASEAN

  • Lessons learned from ASEAN Postharvest Food Loss

The programme followed our strategy to enhance knowledge exchange and structured discussion among our participants in order to support action. First, plenary sessions provided introductory presentations which were then followed by working in groups guided by certain key questions.

After two years of pandemic-induced lack of an excursion, we were very happy that we could offer a one-day field trip to our participants. We welcomed 180 stakeholders in person and more than 320 online participants from policy makers, universities, private and public research institutions, social welfare organisations, food companies etc. from nine different countries! Indonesian media was present and reported about the workshop as well.

A summary of our discussions can be found here. Please see the agenda together with the session recordings (videos with english subtitles) and pictures below.

Wednesday, October 5th 2022
 
09:00 - 09:40

Opening remarks

 

Mr Rajendra Aryal (FAO Representative for Indonesia and Timor Leste)

Mr Stefan Lange (Research director, Thünen Institute, Germany)

Dr Prayudi Syamsuri (Director of ICAPRD, Indonesia)

Prof. Fadjry Djufry (DG of IAARD, Indonesia)

09:40 - 09:50Group photo and coffee break
09:50 - 10:40Session I: Recent Indonesian G20 Initiatives to FLW

Chair person: Dr Azizah Nazala Fauzi (CIPS)

Report from International Workshop on FLW: Data Gap on FLW Measurement in G20 members and advancing FLW actions

Prof. Handewi (Substantial Team AWG G20)

Policy brief: Food Waste Minimization and Circularity for optimizing urban food system resiliance.

Ms. Kuntum Melati (Stockholm Environmental Institute)

Discussion

10:40 - 11:30Session II: Food Waste in ASEAN
 

Chair person: Dr Felicitas Schneider (coordinator FLW Collaboration Initiative, Thünen Institute)

International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste feat. GRASP activities

Ms Young Ran Hur (UNEP Asia Pacific) & Ms Indah Budiani

Household Food Waste - studies in Malaysia

Prof Kohei Watanabe (Teikyo University Japan)

Discussion

11:30 - 12:20Session III: Lessons learned from ASEAN Postharvest Food loss
 

chair person: Dr Haryono (Binus University)

Postharvest Losses in ASEAN Region

Prof. S. Joni Munarso (Indonesian Association of Postharvest Technology Experts)

Food Loss Measurement in ASEAN Regions

Ms Carola Fabi (FAO Statistical Office, Italy)

Discussion

12:20 - 13:20Lunch break
13:20 - 15:30Working Group Sessions
 

Facilitators:

Dr Felicitas Schneider (Thünen Institute)

Mr Stefan Lange (Thünen Institute)

Ms Dewi Fatmaningrum (FAO Indonesia) - Video in Bahasa only

Prof Kohei Watanabe (Teikyo University)

Leading questions:

  • Which utilisation methods are common in your country to prevent food losses from wastage and which methods are currently being implemented or planned?
  • Are there specific burdens to implement those strategies on a large scale?
  • How can we improve storage techniques (both modern and traditional) to contribute to the reduction of post-harvest losses in ASEAN countries?
  • The opportunities and challenges of food banks in ASEAN regions.
15:30 - 16:00Coffee break
16:00 - 16:50Group presentation & Closing remarks
Thursday, October 6th 2022
 
08:00 - 16:00

Field Trip

 
  • Maggoprotein Alam Indonesia
  • Farm and packaging facility Snake Fruit in Sleman
  • Lunch
  • Food Bank Indonesia
  • Winotosastro Batik Craft
18:00 - 21:00

Cultural Night hosted by Bupati Sleman

Pictures from the 6th FLW Workshop, October 5 to 6th, 2022, Yogyakarta/Indonesia

7th FLW Workshop, New Delhi/India

In close collaboration with our colleagues from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and with support of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) our next International Workshop on Food Loss and Waste Prevention in South Asian Region took place in New Delhi from October 30th to November 1st, 2023. The workshop topics addressed

  • Assessment and Impact of Postharvest Losses and Food Waste
  • Prevention of Postharvest Losses in the Supply Chain
  • Prevention of Food Waste in Households and Community Activities as well as
  • Role of Food Bank Networks and Circular Economy.

We experienced very interesting presentations and discussions! A very a comprehensive summary was kindly provided by Dr Kairam Narsaiah (ICAR Asst. Director General), Dr SN Jha (ICAR Deputy Director General) and the team of rapporteurs mentioned in the agenda.  Please find below the agenda with presentations as well as a selection of photos.

October 30th, 2023

08:30 - 09:30                     

Registration

09:30 - 11:30

Inauguration

Dr Kairam Narsaiah (ICAR) - Historical perspective of food losses
Mr Stefan Lange (Thünen Institute) - Global perspective of food loss and waste
Ms Clementine O´Connor (UNEP) - Food loss and waste metrics and sustainability
Dr Shyam N. Jha (ICAR) - Context setting of workshop
Dr Himanshu Pathak (ICAR, Secretary DARE and DG) - special address
Ms Sushri Shobha Karandlaje - Hon. Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
Dr Nachiket Kotwaliwale (ICAR-CIPHET) -
Pledge/Sankalp to prevent Food Loss and Waste
Dr Devinder Dhingra (ICAR) - Vote of thanks

11:30 - 12:00

High tea

12:00 - 13:30                   

Opening session: Introduction of the Workshop Theme and Expected Outcome

Social, Economical & Environmental Aspects of Food Loss and Waste/Food Waste Index/SDG 12.3

 Chairpersons: Dr Himanshu Pathak (DG, ICAR) & Mr Stefan Lange (research director Thünen Institute)

.) Food Waste Index by Ms Clementine O´Connor (UNEP)
.) Collaboration Initiative Food Loss and Waste launched at MACS-G20 by Dr Felicitas Schneider (coordinator, Thünen Institute, Germany)

13:30 - 14:30                    

Group Photo Day 1 and Lunch

14:30 - 18:00

Technical Session I: Assessment and Impact of Postharvest Losses and Food Waste

chairpersons: Dr K.K. Singh (Vice-Chancellor, SVPUAT, Meerut); Mr Sujan Pradhan (Chief Postproduction Officer, NPHC, Bhutan)

rapporteurs: Dr Rajesh Vishwakarma, PC AICRP (PHET) & Dr S Mangaraj, HoD, CIAE Bhopal

Keynote speakerDr S. N. Jha (DDG (Agril. Engg.), ICAR)

Assessment of Post-harvest losses of Food grains, fruits / vegetables, milk, meat - Methodologies and experiences from India

Panelists:

.) Food Loss & Waste in Bhutan - Country perspective by Mr Karma Dorji (Dy Chief Post Prodn. Officer, NPHC)
.) Post-harvest loss of Cereal Grains, Fruits and Vegetables in Bangladesh by Dr. Md. Mostafizar Rahman (Professor, Bangladesh)
.) Impact of postharvest loss and waste on components of sustainability by Mr Pawan Agrawal (Food Future Foundation)
.) Reducing Food Loss and Waste: Enabling action through the Target-Measure-Act Approach (including SDG Target 12.3) by Ms Ritoja Basu (World Resource Institute India)
.) On-farm postharvest operations management to reduce food losses by Dr. Md. Rostom Ali (Professor, Bangladesh)
.) Q & A and panel discussion followed by Tea

October 31st, 2023

09:00 - 11:00

Technical Session II: Prevention of Postharvest Losses in the Supply Chain

chairpersons: Dr S. N. Jha (DDG, Agril. Engg. ICAR) & Dr Pramod Mahajan (Senior Scientist, Leibniz
Institute for Agril. Eng. & Bioeco (ATB), Potsdam, Germany)

rapporteurs:Dr Sangeeta Chopra, Principal Scientist, IARI; Dr M R Manikantan, Principal Scientist, CPCRI

Keynote speaker Mr Stefan Lange (Research Director, Thünen Institute, Germany)

Role of Artificial Intelligence and IT in Food Loss and Waste Prevention

Panelists:

.) Technological interventions in managing Food Supply Chain from Farmers to Consumers by Mr Varun Khurana
(Founder and CEO, Crofarm/OTIPY)

.) Sensors and Modelling in Postharvest Packaging and Storage of Fresh Produce byDr Pramod Mahajan (Senior Scientist, Leibniz Institute for Agril. Eng. & Bioeco (ATB), Potsdam, Germany)
.)
Controlled Atmosphere & Fumigation in Stored Products by Dr S Rajendran and Mr Ujjwal Kumar (UPL)
.)
Use of Block Chain in production and supply of agricommodities byDr Anil Rai (ADG (ICT)) and Dr Leena Kumari (ICAR-CIPHET)
.) questions and answers & panel discussion

11:00 - 11:30                   

Tea

11:30 - 13:30                    

Technical Session III: Prevention of Food Waste in Households and Community Activities

chairpersons: Dr Felicitas Schneider (Thünen Institute, Germany) & Dr Md. Mostafizar Rahman (Professor, BSMRAU, Bangladesh)

rapporteurs: Dr Sandeep Mann, ICAR-CIPHET; Dr M K Tripathi, ICAR-CIAE Bhopal

Keynote speaker: Ms Heena Yadav (FSSAI)

FSSAI initiative on Prevention of Food Loss & Waste

Panelists:

.) Food Waste Management Strategies (including some National Guidelines/Strategies/Policies – International examples/experiences) by Ms Paramita Dutta Dey (NIUA)
.) Impact of Cultural/Societal Norms on Food Loss & Waste by Dr Meenu Verma (IGNOU)
.) Inventory Management Strategies to Reduce Food Loss & Waste by Dr Anurag Tripathi (CWC) and Mr Chanresan Kumar (DGM, Stocks)
.) Role of Indigenous Technical Knowledge in Preservation of Food by Dr Shalini Rudra Gaur (ICAR-IARI)
.) Questions and Answers & Panel discussion

 

14:00 - 15:00

Group Photo Day 2 and Lunch

15:00 - 18:00                  

Technical Session IV: Role of Food Bank Networks and Circular Economy

chairpersons: Ms Clementine O’Connor (UNEP) &  Dr Kodithuakku Arachchige Sarath Sirilal Kodithuwakku (Dean, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka)

rapporteurs: Dr M. S. Sajeev, Principal Scientist, ICAR-CTCRI; Er. Anamika Thakur, Scientist, ICAR-IARI

Keynote speaker: Dr Vandana Singh (India FoodBanking Network)

Role of Food Bank Networks in prevention of Food Loss & Waste

Panelists:

.) UNEP Cold-chain Support Programme India by Clementine O´Connor (UNEP) and Mr Angshuman Siddhanta (Cold Chain Expert/UNEP)
.) Environmental Impact of food Loss & Waste by Dr Nitin Dumasia (CEO, Growlity Inc., USA) & Ms Ingeborg Bayer (Counsellor Food and Agriculture, German Embassy New Delhi)
.) Circular Economy by Ms Shalini Goyal Bhalla (MD ICCE)
.) Value Addition to Agro-Industrial By-products by Dr Sunil Khare (Prof. IIT Delhi)
.) Valorisation of Agro-Industrial By-products by Dr Dinesh Kumar (HOD, PHT, IARI)

.) Q & A and panel discussion followed by Tea

November 01st, 2023

09:00 - 13:30                  

Field Visit

Mother Dairy Fruits and Vegetable Pvt Ltd. Mongolpuri New Delhi
13:30 - 14:30                  

Group Photo Day 3 and Lunch

14:30 - 17:00                  

Valedictory Session

Feedback & Reflection: Delegates share insights & takeaways from the workshop

Closing Remarks: concluding the workshop, thanking the participants, speakers, organisations, funding agencies & outlining future actions

8th FLW Workshop, 2024, Brazil

In cooperation with our colleagues from Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) we will organise the 8th Regional FLW workshop in autumn 2024. Further details will be announced here.

Sustainability Special Issue "National Strategies for the Prevention and Monitoring of Food Loss and Waste"

Dr. Thomas Schmidt, Stefan Lange and Dr. Felicitas Schneider from Thünen Institute worked as guest-editors for a special issue of the Journal "Sustainability" addressing „National Food Loss and Waste Prevention Strategies and Monitoring approaches – an interdisciplinary challenge for decision makers, researchers and practice“.
Finally, we achieved the valuable contribution from 10 international author groups who went successfully through the review process. The papers include experiences from Egypt, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, The Netherlands, United Kingdom and United States of America. They are freely available for download here through open access. We would like to thank all colleagues who shared their valuable insights with us!

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