FAO Brussels Dialogue: First International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste

FAO Brussels welcomed more than 250 participants to the first-ever observance of this International Day. Members of the development community and other partners discussed new strategies, innovation and digitalization, looking at how these could help us to produce and consume food while diminishing loss and waste in the process.

Speakers and panelists included FAO’s Chief Economist, Máximo Torero; EU Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) Deputy Director-General Claire Bury; European Food Banks Federation (FEBA) Secretary-General Angela Frigo; FoodDrinkEurope Director-General Mella Frewen; UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Head of Cities Unit Martina Otto, and Too Good To Go Global Public Affairs Manager Christophe Diercxsens. They talked about the impact of COVID-19 on the food supply chain and gave an overview of their respective organizations’ strategies to curb the problem. A question-and-answer session with the audience focused on the European Commission’s Farm to Fork strategy, as well as tools, policies and best practices which FAO has put in place and which are bearing fruit.

Finally, Member of the European Parliament and of the European Parliamentary Alliance against Hunger and Malnutrition Isabel Carvalhais, concluded the event by putting a spotlight on the tremendous environmental impact of food losses and waste. She stressed the commitment of the Alliance to actively engage in solutions.

You can access the recording here.