As the world observed World Food Day on October 16th, Ind Food & Beverage Association (IFBA) released an insightful report titled Call to Action Report – For Reducing Food Wastage. The comprehensive report was presented to and unveiled by Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. The report explores the scale of food wastage in India compared to global scenarios, identifies the main reasons for wastage, evaluates the effectiveness of existing policies, and recommends strategic interventions to minimize food wastage. The report is intended for all industry stakeholders, including the consumers, FBOs, policymakers, and food regulators and stresses the urgent need for collective action to combat this critical issue.
World Food Day aims at promoting solutions for a sustainable food future. This year’s theme, ‘Right to Food for a Better Life and a Better Future’ emphasizes the fundamental human rights to accessible nutritious, affordable, and sustainable food to ensure everyone’s well-being and dignity. Resonating completely with the theme, IFBA’s report rightly underscores the urgent need for sustainable solutions to minimize food wastage and ensure food security for all.
The findings of this Call-to-Action report suggest that while India has made some progress, significant opportunities exist to enhance efficiency and reduce waste through integrated approaches involving policy reform, technological innovation, and public awareness campaigns.
Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, said, “India’s pre-harvest supply chain is challenged by a combination of factors including limited access to quality inputs, financial constraints, poor infrastructure, climate unpredictability, and policy inefficiencies at the farm level. Addressing these issues requires coordinated efforts from the government, private sector, and agricultural communities to build a more resilient and sustainable supply chain. This report by IFBA rightly addresses the pain points and recommendations to fight these supply chain issues. It also highlights how India as a country can significantly reduce food loss and waste, leading to greater food security, improved farmer incomes, and a more sustainable food system.”
Deepak Jolly, Chairperson of IFBA, mentioned, “Reducing food wastage is a moral and economic responsibility. By cutting down on waste, we can feed more people, conserve valuable resources, and create a more sustainable future for the food industry and our communities. To fight this menace of food loss and waste in India, we need a roadmap based on data-driven strategies and solutions by taking into account the challenges faced by diverse stakeholders. This report by Ind Food & Beverage Association (IFBA) aptly highlights the actionable steps that industry leaders, policymakers, and consumers can take to drive meaningful change and ensure a more sustainable future.”
The report highlights significant gaps in research, policy, and practice which need to be addressed systematically to manage food loss and waste in India. Drawing upon extensive research and industry knowledge, the report outlines some practical recommendations to address this national challenge of food loss and food waste:
1. Adopting a standard metric for estimating food loss and waste that will help generate comparable data from different studies across time and geographies and hence will be more useful for decision-makers, the private sector, and civil society. The global Food Loss and Waste Accounting and Reporting Standard developed by the FLW Protocol could be adopted in India and IFBA can collaborate with government stakeholders to ensure the same.
2. Integrate circular economy principles into food systems to drastically reduce food loss and waste, creating a more sustainable, efficient, and equitable food ecosystem. A circular approach not only benefits the environment but also enhances food security, promotes economic growth, and aligns with the goals of sustainable development.
3. Implement supply-chain-related recommendations to identify hotspots and critical loss points that need redressal to significantly reduce food loss and waste, leading to greater food security, improved farmer incomes, and a more sustainable food system.
Food loss and waste reduction should be seen as a means towards achieving other objectives, including improving food security and nutrition, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and lowering pressure on water and land resources, which contribute towards increased productivity and economic growth.
