Reducing food loss and waste (FLW) is essential for finding global solutions to the triple challenge of feeding a growing world population, ensuring the livelihoods of households along the agro-food supply chain, and delivering on climate and sustainability commitments. According to OECD analysis, meeting the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of halving FLW by 2030 could reduce CO₂ equivalent emissions from the agricultural sector by 4%, while also lifting 137 million people out of hunger. While most countries have established broad national FLW reduction targets, there is scope to enhance existing commitments through measures that include establishing quantifiable targets, mechanisms to engage with stakeholders, avoiding policy layering (adding new policy instruments to existing ones), and fostering more inclusive and transparent policy dialogue, including public-private partnerships. Finally, ex ante and ex post assessments of policy instruments could promote greater coherence and clarity on efficiency and effectiveness.
Achieving food loss and waste reduction
From targets to action
