Action is carried out by the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF)
The Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF) is advancing with the implementation of a model for measuring and preventing food waste, within the framework of the Food Loss and Waste Prevention policy.
“We are developing, together with the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), a tool aimed at measuring and preventing food waste in ICBF services and modalities that include a food component,” explained Concepción Baracaldo Aldana, General Director of ICBF, on the occasion of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste.
In this sense, the model has two components: measurement; and prevention and management. The first consists of applying procedures to determine the quantity of wasted food, as well as the reasons that caused it. The second seeks to address the measures to be implemented to prevent this waste.
Currently, the ICBF is applying this model in the departments of Amazonas, Bolívar, Casanare, Guainía, La Guajira, Norte de Santander, Valle del Cauca, and Vaupés, with the prospect of reaching a total of 20 departments by 2023. Food losses and waste refer to the reduction in the quantity of food originally intended for human consumption, regardless of the cause and at all stages of the food chain, from harvest to consumption.
Finally, the General Director of ICBF explained that actions to prevent food loss and waste are important for generating sustainability in the food system and contribute to the human right to food and, therefore, to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Food Waste Worldwide
Households on all continents wasted the equivalent of more than 1 billion meals per day during 2022, while 783 million people suffered from hunger and a third of humanity faced food insecurity. Food waste continues to harm the global economy and exacerbate climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. These are the main conclusions of a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) published in March 2024.
The 2024 Food Waste Index Report from UNEP provides the most accurate global estimate of food waste by retailers and consumers. The publication also provides guidance to countries to improve data collection and suggests best practices to move from measurement to food waste reduction.
In 2022, 1.05 billion tons of food waste (including inedible residues) were generated, equivalent to 132 kilograms per person and approximately one fifth of all food available for human consumption. Of the total food wasted in 2022, 60% was discarded by households, while 28% was from food service providers and 12% from retailers. The report is available here.
Content adapted by the RAES team.
