Food loss and waste: One of the great challenges of the circular economy
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Abstract
On a planet where more than 800 million people suffer from hunger, around one third of the food produced is lost or wasted along the agri-food chain, causing unnecessary waste of water and the emission of greenhouse gases that leads to irreversible climate change.
This study presents the main difficulties that the social agents of the agri-food system face in addressing the reduction of food waste: a diffuse conceptual framework, no standardization of quantification methods, little attention to prevention and a regulatory framework that has yet to be clarified in cases such as Spain. Among the international research projects currently being implemented, the ZeroW project stands out, which develops innovative solutions against food loss and waste to be implemented transversally throughout the entire agri-food chain.
This article aims to clarify the initial situation in Spain and Andalusia to reduce food loss and waste in the European context and to highlight the need to move towards a circular and more sustainable agri-food system that promotes, through innovation, responsible production and consumption without generating waste.
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