Ind Food & Beverage Association (IFBA) has released a report on food wastage, wherein it is recommended that the wastage can be reduced through an integrated approach involving policy reform, technological innovation and public awareness campaigns.

The report, titled “Call to Action Report – For Reducing Food Wastage”, was recently presented by IFBA to Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, an additional secretary in union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, according to a statement by the industry body.

“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,” said Kidwai.

The report addresses the pain points and recommendations to fight these supply chain issues while highlighting how India can significantly reduce food loss and waste, leading to greater food security, improved farmer incomes, and a more sustainable food system, the statement said quoting Kidwai.

The report explores the scale of food wastage in India compared with other countries, identifies the main reasons for wastage, evaluates the effectiveness of existing policies, and recommends strategic interventions to minimize food wastage, IFBA said.

Opportunity to enhance efficiency

The report said while India has made some progress in reducing food wastage, significant opportunities exist to enhance efficiency and reduce waste through integrated approaches involving policy reform, technological innovation, and public awareness campaigns.

“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,” said Deepak Jolly, chairman of IFBA.

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, the statement said.

IFBA has suggested adopting a standard metric for estimating food loss and waste that will help generate comparable data from different studies across time and geographies. The global Food Loss and Waste Accounting and Reporting Standard developed by the FLW Protocol could be adopted in India, it said and offered to collaborate with government.

Other key points

Other suggestions include integration of circular economy principles into food systems to drastically reduce food loss and waste, creating a more sustainable, efficient, and equitable food ecosystem, identification of hotspots and critical loss points that needs redressal.

“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,” the report said.

Rajeev Ranjan, Managing Director, McDonald’s India - North & East, said the challenge isn’t food scarcity but inefficiencies in how food is distributed, while commenting on the report. “By empowering our famers, including technology-driven insights, optimizing logistics, and reducing wastage across value chains from harvesting to consumption, we can make significant stride towards addressing hunger and securing a sustainable future for generations,” he said.

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