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Food Loss

Food loss refers to food that is lost during growing, harvesting, or distribution. Losses can be devided into preharvest and postharvest losses. These are disinct from food waste, which is that food that reaches the consumer but is not eaten.

Food Loss Overview

It is estimated that about a third of all food grown or raised is lost prior to consumption.

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Losses by phase of production are compounding, meaning that the numbers are the share of product that enters the given phase that is lost during the phase. Poorer countries tend to have greater losses on the production side, while wealthier countries has greater losses on the consumption side. Source: Gustavsson et al. 1.

Preharvest Losses

Not included above is preharvest losses of food. Factors contributing to preharvest losses include diseases, animal pests, weeds, and abiotic stresses. For grains, these losses amount to about a third of what could be grown. Historically, preharvest losses have caused major crop failures and severe famines. Possible examples include a drought-induced famine around 1198-1196 BC, precipitating the Bronze Age Collapse 2; flooding behind the Great Famine of 1315 in Europe 3; a brown planthopped outbreak that decimated the Japanese rice crop in 1733 and caused famine 4; and the potato blight behind the Great Famine in Ireland from 1845-1852 5.

Drought and pests (e.g. disease, insects, rodents) are the two leading causes of preharvest losses, according to surveys across several crops and countries 6. Other factors found by surveys include excessive rain, wind damage, weeds, freezes, and others.

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Data Source: 7.

Better plant breeds could reduce these losses by 520 million tons (300 mmt preharvest losses and 220 mmt in storage) 7.

Problem:
Preharvest Losses
Solution:
CRISPR Genetic Modification

Postharvest Losses

Postharvest losses, generally considered in the harvesting and storage phases, vary widely.

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Sources: 8, 9.

In addition to tonnage lost, postharvest losses take the form of a reduction of quality 10. A study by McKinsey estimates the worldwide annual cost of postharvest losses to be $60 billion 11.

Better use of chemicals and other tools could reduce postharvest losses 12.

Mechanization of growing practices, as opposed to manual labor, reduces losses at multiple stages of the production chain for staple cereal crops.

Problem:
Postharvest Losses
Solution:
Agricultural Mechanization

As storage is a major source of postharvest losses, improved storage can reduce losses.

Problem:
Post Harvest Losses - Tanzania
Solution:
Hermetic Storage Bags - Tanzania
Problem:
Postharvest Losses
Solution:
Better Storage Silos

In the transportation of food, better cold chain infrastructure and shorter supply chains are suggested to reduce losses 13.

References

  1. Gustavsson, J., Cederberg, C., Sonesson, U., van Otterdijk, R., Meybeck, A. "Global food losses and waste: Extent, causes, and prevention". Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2011. ↩

  2. Manning, S. W., Kocik, C., Lorentzen, B., Sparks, J. P. "Severe multi-year drought coincident with Hittite collapse around 1198–1196 BC". Nature 614, pp. 719-724. February 2023. ↩

  3. Baek, S. H., Smerdon, J. E., Dobrin, G-C., Naimark, J. G., Cook, E. R., Cook, B. I., Seager, R., Cane, M. A., Scholz, S. R. "A quantitative hydroclimatic context for the European Great Famine of 1315–1317". Communications Earth & Environment 1:19. September 2020. ↩

  4. Heinrichs, E. A. "Management of Rice Insect Pests". University of Minnesota. Accessed June 26, 2024. ↩

  5. Fraser, E. D. G. "Social Vulnerability and Ecological Fragility: Building Bridges between Social and Natural Sciences Using the Irish Potato Famine as a Case Study". Ecology & Society 7(2): 9. 2003. ↩

  6. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. "The State of Food and Agriculture: Moving Forward on Food Loss and Waste Reduction". 2019. ↩

  7. Mesterházy, Á, Oláh, J., Popp, J. "Losses in the Grain Supply Chain: Causes and Solutions". Sustainability 12(6). March 2020. ↩ ↩2

  8. Blanckenberg, A., Linus Opara, U., Amos Fawole, O. "Postharvest Losses in Quantity and Quality of Table Grape (cv. Crimson Seedless) along the Supply Chain and Associated Economic, Environmental and Resource Impacts". Sustainability 13(8): 4450. April 2021. ↩

  9. Kumar, D., Kalita, P. "Reducing Postharvest Losses during Storage of Grain Crops to Strengthen Food Security in Developing Countries". Foods 6(1). January 2017. ↩

  10. Strecker, K., Bitzer, V., Kruijssen, F. "Critical stages for post-harvest losses and nutrition outcomes in the value chains of bush beans and nightshade in Uganda". Food Security 14, pp. 411-426. January 2022. ↩

  11. Claes, J. De Clercq, D., Denis, N., Fiocco, D., Katz, J. "How to reduce postharvest crop losses in the agricultural supply chain". McKinsey & Company. November 2021. ↩

  12. Yahaya, S. M., Mardiyya, A. Y. "Review of Post-Harvest Losses of Fruits and Vegetables". Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research. January 2019. ↩

  13. Friedman-Heiman, A., Miller, S. A. "The impact of refrigeration on food losses and associated greenhouse gas emissions throughout the supply chain". Environmental Research Letters 19(6): 064038. May 2024. ↩