Release: New Brief on Innovation in Food Loss
December 9, 2020
WIPO GREEN released its new Global Challenges Brief Innovative Technologies Tackling Food Loss, which will be presented during a webinar on December 10, 2020.
This edition of the Global Challenges in Focus series explores cutting-edge technologies to reduce food loss in the supply chain. Through identifying “critical loss points”, the brief proposes innovative technologies with the highest estimated impact on mitigating food loss. In continuation of the topic of food management, a forthcoming paper will address the technologies tackling food waste.
Why are the topics of food loss and food waste important?
Food loss and waste are global challenges. In 2011, 1.3 billion tons or roughly one third of globally produced food was lost or wasted. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12 calls for global food waste at the retail and consumer levels to be halved by 2030, as well as the reduction of food loss along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.
Join the webinar on Innovative Technologies in the WASH Sector and in Food Loss
Speakers:
- Dr. Peter Oksen, Senior Program Officer, Climate Change and Food Security, Global Challenges Division, Global Issues Sector, WIPO.
- Mr. Charis M. Galanakis, Director, Food Waste Recovery Group, ISEKI Food Association and R&I Director, Galanakis Laboratories.
When: December 10, 2020, 12:00 CET
What is the difference between food loss and food waste?
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), food loss is “the decrease in the quantity or quality of food resulting from decisions and actions by food suppliers in the chain, excluding retail, food service providers and consumers”. Food waste, on the other hand, occurs on the retail, food service provider and consumer levels. Next year, WIPO GREEN is planning to publish another research, focused specifically on food waste.
What is the link between food loss and innovation?
The brief identifies “critical loss points” – the points at which food loss has the largest impact across the supply chain. It is at these points that innovation can help to reverse the process. The brief describes several technology solutions with high potential in tackling food loss, currently being developed and deployed across the food supply chain from harvest and up to retail.
About WIPO GREEN
WIPO GREEN is a global marketplace for sustainable technology, supporting global efforts to address climate change. Through its online database and regional activities, WIPO GREEN connects green tech seekers and providers in order to catalyze green innovation and accelerate green tech transfer and diffusion. Subscribe to the monthly WIPO GREEN newsletter.