With physical distancing and reduced shopping trips to supermarkets, buying large quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables becomes difficult, with the risk of them going to waste, during this COVID-19 pandemic. There are, however, simple ways in which fruits and vegetables can be preserved at home to reduce waste. Many vegetables, can be blanched by dipping in boiling water for approximately 5 minutes and then pickled and fermented. Fruits can be preserved by blanching and freezing, juicing, drying, frying, or preserved with sugar into jams and fruit preserves.
Root crops and bananas can be fried to produce chips.

Pulses are important in agricultural production systems, in managing soil fertility, reducing the adverse effects of climate change and enhancing resilience especially for the most vulnerable groups, especially women and children; in food and feed especially during lean periods in food- and nutrition-insecure countries. Furthermore, pulses are an important source of income for the most vulnerable households in developing countries around the world and account for a relatively large share of world trade through processing and marketing. Measures taken by countries to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic could likely increase exacerbate losses in pulses due to inappropriate harvest and post-harvest practices, ultimately contributing to reducing their availability and accessibility.

Disruptions in supply chains resulting from blockages on transport routes, transport restrictions and quarantine measures are resulting in significant increases in food loss and waste, especially of perishable agricultural produce such as fruits and vegetables, fish, meat and dairy products.

On 23 September 2020, an online event (below a link to its recording) part of the initiative “Mediterranean Diet’s Principles for Agenda 2030”, a series of thematic sessions promoted by the Italian Permanent Representation aimed to raise awareness on how the Mediterranean Diet can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Eumind (Europe meets India) is a network of schools aimed at facilitating learning across the borders. It creates and supervises virtual exchange projects in which Indian and European students work together on real-life issues such as sustainability, human rights and arts & culture. Among other projects done by students on various subjects, inspired by the FAO DO GOOD SAVE FOOD education material, a new project was launched on 'Saving Food' following the DO GOOD SAVE FOOD tool kit.

On the occasion of the 2021 virtual global event a clear call to action was made to the public (national or local authorities) and private (businesses, including producers) sectors and individuals. They were called to prioritize actions and move ahead with innovation to reduce food loss and waste and contribute to restoring and building better agri-food systems.