Foro Global sobre Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición (Foro FSN)

I think also there should be guiding principles or measures to be implemented by service providers (those outside the supply chain) who offer services to supply chain actors. Especially those who offer services or supply  equipment/tools/pesticides to producers/farmers because usually producers do not have complete information about a product or a service being promoted or offered. For instance, I have seen farmers using sub-standard hermetic bags or a none-calibrated moisture meter. In both cases, it is not the fault of the farmer if the technology she uses fails and losses occur. If certain principles or standards guide the supplier of the technology or service, this can limit the acquisition by farmers of a substandard technology that cause losses. Upstream the story could be different because the chain actors are more informed, and most post-harvest services are provided inhouse. Even then, services providers outside the supply chain get contracted like storage fumigators who are expected to follow certain principles. So in some ways, some key service providers outside the supply chain should be guided by certain principles, and these should be included in the CoC

I am glad to be part of this discussion. Well from an African perspective, I believe FLW can be addressed through the processing of such foods by natural means (drying). Most African countries are blessed with abundant sunlight. Such free energy can be utilized to dry foods that are driable which can be later used for human consumption or incorporated into animal feed. This method can minimize microbial spoilage, reduced the weight and bulk volume of the food for easier handling. Subsequent handling operations such as size reduction (cutting or grinding) can be done to facilitate its utilization as animal feed or raw-material for animal feed formulation.

Another way in which FLW can be minimized is the collection of excess foods from the source (farm) process them into concentrates (as in the case of fruits) or functional foods.

@ Germán Franco Díaz

Thank you very much for your contribution. Policies, legislation (with reference to markets, food prices and products distribution) as well as ethical considerations and recycling options will be kept in high consideration during the development of the CoC.

Dear Sirs,

My input about the Code of Conduct on Food Loss and Food Waste Prevention is as follows:

• Consideration of the ethics and principles to minimize the market speculation and the equality of the product distribution.
• Legislation regulating the fair price competition and alternative waste recycling (animal feed, industrial transformation).

Just at your disposal for further participation.

Kind regards,

Germán Franco Díaz

@ Dick Tinsley

Thank you very much for your inputs to the discussion. The Code of Conduct should definitely suggest actions and practices that have to be financially viable and operationally feasible (and also adaptable to different contexts). Thank you also for all the webpages you have sent: they are interesting food for thought and provide an added value to the consultation.

@ Md. Kamrul Islam

Thank you very much for mentioning food production systems. they are of utmost importance when we speak about food losses. Prevention and reduction policies should in fact start at the source.

This is an interesting topic. I am not certain it is doable. What I would be concern with is that whatever is done has to be both financially viable and operationally feasible. Too often these are overlooks as we tend to make labor intensive innovations with the underlying assumption readily available and diets are enough to undertake the additional labor. Unfortunately, this is rarely the case for smallholder farmers. My prime example is that I would expect that composting crop residues would require more caloric energy then would be derived from the extra yield obtained. Calorie deficit is a major problem in most smallholder communities leading to major labor shortages. Please review the following webpages:

https://smallholderagriculture.agsci.colostate.edu/calorie-energy-balan…

https://smallholderagriculture.agsci.colostate.edu/ethiopia-diet-analys…

https://smallholderagriculture.agsci.colostate.edu/1028-2/

https://smallholderagriculture.agsci.colostate.edu/affordability-of-imp…

https://smallholderagriculture.agsci.colostate.edu/organic-source-of-nu…

In my country, Bangladesh, food usually wasted when it is rotten. Food rotting initiates from cultivation practices. Harvesting of immature or over mature crops, unavailability of food processing centers at rural areas, under developed marketing system are most important factors responsible for food rotting followed by food waste. Thus, according to me, food waste prevention policy, strategy and guidelines should consider the food production system.

Vethaiya's  input was useful and it also set the scene for the discussion.  Thanks. Joy

@ Hamza Aliodjibril.

Thank you very much for your contribution. Climate change is definitely a very important topic in relation to FLW. It could be considered and mentioned in the cross-cutting issues of the CoC as it has a number of repercussions, mostly at primary production level – (but also as you mention storage and preservation can be influenced by climate change).

Consumers’ education and the mobilization of consumers’ associations are of utmost importance to prevent and reduce food waste. The CoC aims at sensitizing and involving them as actors of change.

@ Hugo Alfonso Muñoz Ureña

Thank you for your contribution and the article you suggest. The aim of the CoC is to serve as an instrument of reference to help Member Countries establish or improve their legal and institutional frameworks on FLW prevention, reduction and management; it will establish guidelines and provide examples of good conduct with reference to FLW, but will not have a coercive nature.

Saying that food waste can represent a form of Abuse of Law is a very extreme position: especially when referring to consumers and the ethical issues connected to food waste, consumers should be sensitized to the topic (and also be asked by governments to pay taxes based on the amount of waste they generate), but can t be persecuted for generating food waste (freedom of choice should be anyway preserved).

I agree that legislation and the food safety risks connected to food waste generation should be kept into high consideration.

English translation below

Bonjour,

Grand merci de me donner l'opportunité de contribuer à cet échange

- Par rapport au projet et à la structure proposés pour le CdC, il me semble que l'aspect changement climatique et ses effets ne soient pas suffisamment pris en compte.

Dans les pays où les systèmes de production sont traditionnels, les inondation et/ou les sècheresses sont cause de pertes importantes de productions agricoles et pastorales à la source.

- Par rapport au contenu des différentes sections du CdC:

Traiter de réduction des pertes et gaspillage des aliments, reviens après tout à promouvoir des comportements individuels et collectifs favorables à une utilisation rationnelle des aliments.

Ainsi, l'éducation des consommateurs et la mobilisation des associations des consommateurs me sembles être des pratiques applicables partout.

La conservation des aliments est souvent un grand défi chez les producteurs et les consommateurs dans les pays à climat chaud.

Faciliter l'accès au meilleurs moyens et méthodes de conservation grâce notamment à l'énergie solaire peut beaucoup aider à réduire les pertes.

Tout en respectant la diversité culturelle, la sensibilisation des consommateurs doit aussi s'intéresser aux meilleures pratiques culinaires (qui gaspillent moins) et les promouvoir.

Hello,

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this exchange

- With regard to the proposed project and structure for the CoC, it seems to me that the climate change aspect and its effects are not sufficiently taken into account.

In countries where production systems are traditional, floods and / or droughts cause significant losses of agricultural and pastoral production at source.

- In relation to the content of the different sections of the CoC:

Dealing with the reduction of food waste and waste, requires first the promotion of individual and collective behaviours conducive to the rational use of food.

Thus, consumer education and the mobilization of consumer associations seem to me to be applicable everywhere.

Food preservation is often a big challenge for producers and consumers in hot climate countries.

Facilitate access to the best means and methods of conservation thanks to solar energy can greatly help to reduce losses.

While respecting the cultural diversity, the sensitization of the consumers must also take into account best culinary practices (which waste less) and promote them.