What are food losses and waste (FW) and what is their impact on agro-industrial production chains?

It is estimated that one third of the food produced for human consumption in the world is lost or wasted every year. This amounts to around 1,3 billion tons of food, which represents an economic loss of around US$940 billion. However, population growth could worsen this problem, especially in the next 25 years. To meet the projections of 9,3 billion people in 2050, the global food supply is expected to increase by around 70%. 

Wasting food contributes to the violation of opportunities for others to feed themselves, generating social impacts related to food safety. Food waste also contributes to the environmental impacts caused by landfill occupation and greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, Food Loss and Waste (FW) can compromise the sustainability of agro-industrial production chains (CPA) having significant economic, social and environmental impacts.

The various causes of PDA occur throughout the CPA. The quantities wasted and the nature of the waste vary according to country-specific variables, including the level of urbanization, technologies used, procedures and handling of products along the CPA, commercial orientation, household income, diets and lifestyles, and consumer preferences. Thus, reducing and mitigating PDA appears to be an essential step in improving food supply, but it must also involve all stakeholders in the chain.

PDA, food security and sustainability are not new issues, but they have recently resurfaced on government, academic and business agendas among strategies to achieve a sustainable future. With regard to PDA, SDG#12 of the SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN), brings the need to ensure sustainable production and consumption patterns, with the following goals: 

12.3 – By 2030, halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production chains;


12.5 - By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse; 

12.6 – Encourage companies, especially large and transnational companies, to adopt sustainable practices and integrate sustainability information into their reporting cycle (UN, 2015). 

Furthermore, other SDGs, such as Good Health and Well-being, Affordable and Clean Energy and Sustainable Cities and Communities are also linked to the PDAs.

High levels of PDA have attracted the attention of organizations, policymakers and researchers worldwide, who have made efforts to study and overcome this problem. Prevention and mitigation of PDA can be effectively achieved through the right programs, policies and human attitudes.

The discussion on PDA becomes even more complex due to the difficulty in standardizing the definitions of the terms used on the subject and the lack of availability of precise data on the volume generated globally. Among the difficulties in definition is the use of the terms “loss” and “waste” as synonyms. However, “loss” is generally distinguished from “waste” because the actions to combat each are different. 

Loss is often defined as the involuntary reduction in the availability of food for human consumption, resulting from inefficiencies in production chains, infrastructure and logistics deficiencies, obsolete or absent production technologies, and managerial or technical inadequacies. Waste, on the other hand, refers to the intentional rejection of items, mainly by retailers and consumers, and is mainly due to the behavior of companies or individuals. Therefore, the use of the term waste is associated with the downstream of CPA, while loss is associated with the upstream.

Despite the importance of the topic, there is no single definition of PDA, and the different definitions available in the literature make it difficult to measure it, as well as to compare sources and the effectiveness of prevention and mitigation strategies. 

Although it is the world's eighth largest economy and a major food exporter, the country is among the nations that waste the most food, especially in retail and consumer areas. In Brazil, 50% of food is lost during handling and transportation operations and 30% in supply centers, whose combined movement accounts for 1,4% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). 

At the consumption stage, around 41 thousand tons of food are wasted per year, making the country one of the ten countries that waste the most food in the world. It is estimated that each Brazilian family throws away an average of 128,8 kilos of food per year. 

Measuring WTP is also challenging in developing countries, as they do not have adequate municipal waste management. In Brazil, for example, 46,4 million tons (60,5%) of collected urban solid waste is disposed of in landfills, while 29,7 million tons (39,5%) are dumped in dumps or controlled landfills that do not have the necessary measures to protect the environment and the population. This is due, among other reasons, to the lack of effective policies and incentives that reach the population and private companies.

Quantifying food waste within processes throughout a CPA becomes important to understand the volume, location and reasons for items that are lost or wasted and, therefore, propose corrective actions. However, developing actions to avoid/reduce waste becomes complex when there is not enough information about the quantity, justifications and destination of food. Therefore, a consistent standard of definitions or a measurement and reporting structure becomes important to compare data within or between regions and organizations, and thus draw conclusions and formulate solutions to reduce AWP.

References and Recommended Reading

ABRELPE - Brazilian Association of Public Cleaning and Special Waste Companies. Panorama of Solid Waste in Brazil 2022. 64 p. São Paulo, 2022. Accessed on April 28, 2024.

Ardra, S., Barua, M. K. (2022). Inclusion of circular economy practices in the food supply chain: Challenges and possibilities for reducing food waste in emerging economies like India. Environment, Development and Sustainability.

Betz, A., Buchli, J., Göbel, C., Müller, C. (2015). Food waste in the Swiss food service industry - Magnitude and potential for reduction. Waste Management, 35. 218-226.

Buzby, J. C., & Hyman, J. (2012). Total and per capita value of food loss in the United States. Food Policy, 37(5), 561–570

Chen, H., Jiang, W., Yang, Y., Yang, Y., Man, X. (2017). State of the art on food waste research: a bibliometrics study from 1997 to 2014. Journal of Cleaner Production, 140, 840–846.

Clowes, A., Hanson, G., Mitchell, P. (2018). The Business Case for Reducing Food Loss and Waste. (June), 1–24.

Delgado, L., Schuster, M., Torero, M. (2017). Reality of Food Losses: A New Measurement Methodology. (July), 1–48.


Derqui, B., Fernandez, V. (2017). The opportunity of tracking food waste in school cafeterias: Guidelines for self-assessment. Waste Management, 69, 431–444.

FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2009). How to Feed the World in 2050. Insights from an Expert Meeting at FAO, 2050(1), 1–35.

Garrone, P., Melacini, M., Perego, A. (2014). Opening the black box of food waste reduction. Food Policy, 46, 129–139.

Gonçalves JC dos S; César, AS; Conejero, MA; Silva, DEW Food waste: a study of selected projects and programs against food insecurity around the world.. In: Organization Editora Poisson. Strategic and Organizational Management. Volume 1. Belo Horizonte. pp.79-93. 2018.

Gustavsson, J., Cederberg, C., Sonesson, U., Otterdijk van, R., Meybeck, A. 2011. Global Food Losses and Food Waste. In: Food and Agriculture Organization of The United Nations. 29p.

Hanson, G., Mitchell, P. (2017). The Business Case for Reducing Food Loss and Waste. (March), 1–24.

Henz, G. P., Porpino, G. (2017). Food losses and waste: how Brazil is facing this global challenge? Brazilian Horticulture, 35(4), 472–482.

Marsicano K. (2018). Research reveals that Brazilian families waste 128 kilos of food per year. Accessed: Jun, 2023.

MDS - Ministry of Development and Social Assistance, Family and Fight Against Hunger. (2015). Brazilian Network of Food Banks. Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. Accessed: Sep., 2022.

Nakasone, E. (2018). Measuring food losses: a new methodology. Retrieved from Webinar website.

Papargyropoulou, E., Wright, N., Lozano, R., Steinberger, J., Padfield, R., Ujang, Z. (2016). Conceptual framework for the study of food waste generation and prevention in the hospitality sector. Waste Management, 49, 326–336.

Peixoto, M., Pinto, HS (2016). Food Waste: Socio-environmental, Economic and Regulatory Issues.

Pirani, SI, Arafat, HA (2016). Reduction of food waste generation in the hospitality industry. Journal of Cleaner Production, 132, 129–145.

Porpino, G. (2016). Household Food Waste Behavior: Avenues for Future Research. Journal of the Association for Consumer Research, 1(1), 41–51.

Porpino, G., Wansink, B., Parente, J. (2016). Wasted Positive Intentions: The Role of Affection and Abundance on Household Food Waste. Journal of Food Products Marketing, 22(7), 733–751.

Porpino, G., Parente, J., Wansink, B. (2015). Food Waste Paradox: Antecedents of Food Disposal in Low Income Households. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 39(6), 619–629.

Sakaguchi, L., Pak, N., Potts, M. D. (2018). Tackling the issue of food waste in restaurants: Options for measurement method, reduction and behavioral change. Journal of Cleaner Production, 180, 430–436.

Silva, DEW, César, AS, Conejero, MA (2021) Prevention of food waste and alternative destinations for unused food in Brazil. Journal of Cleaner Production. 318(10), 128545. 1-11.

Thi, N.B.D., Kumar, G., Lin, C.Y. (2015). An overview of food waste management in developing countries: Current status and future perspective. Journal of Environmental Management, 157, 220–229.

UN - United Nations. General Assembly. Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on 25 September 2015. Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. (2015), 35p. Accessed: Sep., 2018.

Van der Werf, P., Gilliland, J. A. (2017). A systematic review of food losses and food waste generation in developed countries. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Waste and Resource Management, 170(2), 66–77.

WRI - World Resources Institute. (2016). Food Loss and Waste Accounting and Reporting Standard. World Resources

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