International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste

29 September marks the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, proclaimed by the UN, which draws attention to the urgency of reducing losses and waste throughout the food chain. This is a global challenge with a direct impact on food security, environmental sustainability and economic efficiency, and is directly linked to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 12.3.

In this context, the European project WASTELESS – Waste Quantification Solutions to Limit Environmental Stress stands out, bringing together 17 international partners, including universities, research centres, companies and non-governmental organisations. The aim is to develop robust and harmonised tools to measure, monitor and reduce food loss and waste (FLW) in different sectors of the agri-food system.

Among the first results of the project, the following stand out:

• The creation of a methodological toolbox for quantifying FLW, applicable in a harmonised manner in different production contexts;
• Detailed analysis of four critical value chains – meat, fish, fruit and vegetables, and cereals – enabling the identification of critical points of loss throughout the production and consumption cycle;
• The development of digital protocols and smart sensors for real-time monitoring, which are already being tested in pilot cases in several European countries;
• The development of environmental and economic impact indicators, which show that reducing waste in these sectors by just 25% can generate significant benefits in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and production costs.

With these advances, WASTELESS demonstrates how research and innovation can transform a global challenge into an opportunity for efficiency, circularity and sustainability in the food system.