Study on food loss : Role of manufacturers and retailers

Abstract

Research has indicated that annually almost 30 to 40 percent of the world’s food is lost or wasted. This devastating fact has drawn attention in the global food crises which have resulted from knock-on-effects of the COVID-19, Ukraine war, and climate change. Statistics state that one in ten people do not get enough to eat, which amounts to nearly 800 million suffering from hunger. On the other hand the consequences of food loss and waste will add to the starvation. ‘Food loss’ could happen during harvest time or after harvest, and while it is moving to the retailer or consumer. The loss of the food itself is awful and its secondary effects are alarming as well. The water consumption linked to food loss and waste amounts to approximately one-fourth of the world’s freshwater supply. Greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions from food loss and waste constitute nearly 8 percent of the global total. This research attempts to identify the reasons for food loss and find means of converting them to opportunities.