FAO recommends methods to fight losses of grain and grain products

Recent technologies of flour and cereals production, safety and quality of products, forecasts, and the prospects for the growth of the grain, cereals and flour sector were among the main topics discussed at the international grain and mill conference “MILL.COM” that opened today in the St. Petersburg suburb of Petergof. The conference is organized the second year in a row by Publishing House SFERA, one of the first Russian organizations to join FAO’s Global Initiative on Food Loss and Waste Reduction – SAVE FOOD.

Addressing the audience, Robert van Otterdijk, FAO agro-industry officer spoke about the need to tackle the issue of losses in the grain sector. He pointed out that at the root of the problem usually lies in that “one or more segments in the value chain – production/harvest, preservation, storage, agro-processing, transportation, wholesale, retail - don’t perform well.”

“The chain is as strong as its weakest link. Only an integrated value chain approach – including external factors – can reduce post-harvest losses,” Otterdijk emphasized.

Otterdijk elaborated on food loss assessment methods by giving an example. Assessment revealed a batch of food products containing losses or products of low quality, for instance, maize losses at storage in community, which was established through sampling. In this case, the next step would be to identify and describe the symptoms that lead to this quantitative/quality loss. For instance, 20 percent of maize is covered with fungi, which determines the biological nature of the problem.

As the next stage, one would need to verify the possible causes by consulting experts and specialized literature, and through on-site investigation. Experts might conclude that fungus was brought in from the field. Alternatively, the infestation might have taken place during drying or storage from: -drier, -store, -bags, -other batch. It could also be the case of improper drying. Or, the “culprit” could be humid and non-ventilated storage, a storage duration that lasted too long.

It is essential to identify the real cause of the low quality and subsequent food loss: for instance, it could amount to humid and non-ventilated storage and storage duration too long.

Subsequently, it is indispensable to find the underlying reason for the cause and find the answer to the question why the problem has not been solved yet. It might be related to ownership and maintenance of community store, or to management of marketing. In a wider context, the roots of the problem could be linked to “investment climate, culture, gender” factors.

One of the key messages by Otterdijk focused on the properties of the solutions to deal with food losses. They must:

• Not be more expensive      than food loss itself
• Not place a higher burden      on the environment and GHG emissions
• Make more food available      to the people that need it most
• Be socially and culturally acceptable

Moreover, the issue of food loss and waste always incorporates a social-psychological aspect. In his presentation, Otterdijk illustrated this point by referring to the success of the “Preventing bread waste” campaign launched by the Turkish Grain Board and aimed at raising public awareness about food waste and promoting of whole meal bread. The campaign targeted households, bakeries, cafeterias, restaurants and hotels. As the end-result, a 16 percent decrease in food waste saved 384 million loaves of bread per year, and amounted to US$ 1.2 billion reduction in consumers’ expenditures.

Petergof (St. Petersburg)