Why Does Animal-Based Food Loss and Waste Matter?

Unofficial AI-generated summary based on the public title and abstract. Not an official translation.

🔬研究者:食品ロス削減の環境影響評価と政策連携の知見。

🏢実務担当者:サプライチェーンでの食品ロス測定と削減の実践的示唆。

🏛政策担当者:SDG 12.3達成に向けた政策立案の参考。

Food loss and waste is an increasingly important issue for companies and governments to address, with implications for the economy, the environment, and general human well-being. Although the amount of animal-based food that is lost or wasted is low compared with other commodities, the higher impact associated with producing animal-based food is still worth addressing. Additionally, COVID-19 may be causing higher levels of food loss and waste in animal-based food industries. Companies within the food industry can address food loss and waste through measurement and action in their own supply chains, partnership with other businesses and through creative re-uses of food that would otherwise go to waste. According to a landmark 2011 study by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about one-third of all the food produced in the world is lost or wasted at some point in the food supply chain (FAO, 2011). Although the specific amount of food loss and waste varies based on commodity type, geographic location, and stage of the supply chain, this level of inefficiency has significant impacts on the economy, human well-being, and the environment. Therefore, food loss and waste reduction should be as an opportunity to save money and improve efficiency within businesses, redirect food to those who need it, and reduce environmental impacts. Food loss and waste, defined most simply, refers to food and/or associated inedible parts that are removed from the food supply chain (Food Loss and Waste Protocol, 2016). (Some sources make a distinction between “food loss,” which occurs in the early parts of the supply chain, and “food waste” which occurs at the retail and household stages of the food supply chain. For this article, the author does not make a distinction between food loss and food waste and instead uses the phrase “food loss and waste” to encompass the entire food supply chain.) The impacts of that loss and waste are significant. According to FAO estimates, this level of inefficiency results in approximately US$940 billion per year in economic losses. It also results in significant environmental impacts. For example, food loss and waste is responsible for 8% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions (FAO, 2015). In fact, if food loss and waste were contained to one country, that country would be the world’s third-largest emitter after the United States and China. Although food loss and waste occur across the entire food supply chain, the extent and details of where that loss and waste occur vary by region and economy. Figure 1 shows the percentage of food loss and waste occurring in each stage of the food supply chain for seven key regions. In more developed regions such as North America, Industrialized Asia and Europe, most of the loss and waste occurs toward the end of the food supply chain, at the retail and consumer levels. Conversely, in developing regions, most of the loss and waste occurs at the production and storage levels. Therefore, although food loss and waste is a significant problem across all countries, the solutions for addressing it differ greatly depending on the region and circumstances where it is occurring. Distribution of food loss or waste by region and stage in food supply chain, 2007. Source: Flanagan et al. (2019). Distribution of food loss or waste by region and stage in food supply chain, 2007. Source: Flanagan et al. (2019). The extent of food loss and waste also varies greatly across different types of commodities, as seen in Figure 2. When examined by weight, fruits, and vegetables make up the largest share of global food loss and waste, due in large part to the high amount of water content. When examined by caloric content, cereals and grains make up the largest share due to their high-energy density compared with other food groups. Share of global food loss and waste by commodity, 2007. Source: Flanagan et al. (2019). Share of global food loss and waste by commodity, 2007. Source: Flanagan et al. (2019). Compared to other commodities, animal-based foods (e.g., meat, milk/dairy, and fish/seafood) are lost or wasted to a much smaller degree. As in Figure 2, animal-based foods only comprise about 12% of global food loss and waste. Typically, animal-based foods have a higher economic value than other commodity types. This may lead to this lower rate of loss and waste since the economic effect of that loss or waste is more significant than it can be with other commodity types. The COVID-19 pandemic may change this trend, however, due to unforeseen consequences within the animal-based food industry. Although comprehensive data on how COVID-19 have affected food loss and waste will likely not be available until 2021, there are numerous reports of increased food loss and waste due to the closure of meat processing facilities as well as due to the closure of restaurants and other facilities where the food would otherwise be sold (Corkery and Yaffe-Bellany, 2020). Although animal-based products have historically been lost or wasted less than other commodities, the effects of that lost and waste are more significant than with other types of food (University of Missouri-Columbia, 2015). One reason, as mentioned above, is the higher economic value of animal-based products. Another reason is the significantly higher level of environmental inputs required to produce animal-based products. For example, when it comes to food-related greenhouse gas emissions, meat has the highest level of emissions per kilogram of food, followed by dairy (Ranganathan et al., 2016). Reducing or preventing the loss or waste of animal-related foods, therefore, has a higher impact than other commodities and should be seen as an opportunity to achieve greater economic gains while reducing environmental costs. There is no single cause of animal-based food loss and waste. Food is lost and wasted throughout the entire supply chain, due to a wide variety of causes and drivers. One frequent cause of loss or waste in the animal-based food industry is spoilage during storage or transport. Since most animal-based foods require to be kept at cold temperatures, any disruption of a cold storage environment can lead to spoilage. Another cause unique to the animal-based food industry is animal sickness, which can spread quickly through livestock and lead to unnecessary animal deaths, resulting in great loss. A third such cause is discoloration of meat that can occur not necessarily due to spoilage but merely due to oxidation. Because consumers heavily rely on surface meat color when making a purchase, small spots of browning can cause consumers to reject even slightly discolored meat, which leads to waste at the retail level. On the consumer side of the supply chain, animal-based food loss and waste tends to be due to mishandling at the household level. This can be due to improper storage (such as not keeping animal-based products at a significantly cold temperature) or failure to freeze food before it spoils. The other significant cause at the household level is insufficient knowledge about how to prepare food, which can lead to food being burnt or inedible if cooked incorrectly. Additionally, if consumers are not experienced preparing a meal in their own kitchen, they may unknowingly discard edible portions of food. An additional cause of animal-based food loss and waste at the consumer end of the supply chain is due to misunderstandings of the meaning of food date labels. Food date labels appear in numerous forms (e.g., “best before,” “sell by,” and “use by”) and may refer to either food quality or food safety, leading to confusion for consumers. Additionally, in a recent survey, more than half of participants incorrectly believed date labeling to be federally regulated, when in fact the dates are set by manufacturers for the vast majority of products (Neff et al., 2019). Food loss and waste is being addressed by governments around the world. At the international level, the most significant step has been the adoption of 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) by the United Nations General Assembly, with SDG 12 seeking to “ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns.” More specifically, the third target under this goal (Target 12.3) calls for halving per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reducing food losses along production and supply chains (including postharvest losses) by 2030. This target has focused attention on the issue of food loss and waste reduction and led to numerous initiatives and actions. The group Champions 12.3 (named for SDG Target 12.3) is one such initiative and describes itself as “a unique coalition of executives from governments, businesses, international organizations, research institutions, and civil society dedicated to inspiring ambition, mobilizing action, and accelerating progress toward achieving SDG Target 12.3.” Members include the CEOs of such prominent global food companies as Nestle, Unilever, Sodexo, and Olam International. Among other activities, Champions 12.3 publishes an annual report showing the progress the world has made toward achieving SDG 12.3 while also detailing what steps still need to be taken (Champions 12.3, 2019). National-level strategies have also been effective in addressing food loss and waste. For example, in December 2018, the FAO launched a project to help Albania, Armenia, the Republic of North Macedonia, and the Republic of Moldova develop strategies for food loss and waste reduction (FAO, 2018). The project will also develop a regional awareness-raising campaign, establish and coordinate a partnership network, and conduct training programs in postharvest handling practices and food and waste reduction. Uganda, which experiences the highest amount of loss near the production side of the food supply chain, also has begun developing a national strategy to tackle postharvest losses in grains. The strategy will aim to i

• openalex https://doi.org/10.1093/af/vfaa039first seen 2026-08-02 17:47:39