FAO's approach to reducing food loss and waste focuses on gathering data, raising awareness, promoting investment, and strengthening policies. FAO projects in Egypt aim to assess losses, build capacity, introduce technologies, and improve value chains for tomatoes and grapes. Moving forward, a national food loss and waste monitoring and evaluation unit is being established in Egypt to collect and share data, build awareness and technical skills, and coordinate stakeholders towards the goal of reducing food losses and waste.

1. FAO’s Approach and Experience to
Food Loss and Waste Reduction
Jennifer Smolak
Nutrition and Food Systems Officer
FAO Representation in Egypt
October 2017 / IFPRI Egypt Seminar in partnership with FAO:
"Food Loss and Waste in Egypt"

2. What is Food Loss and Waste?
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FOOD LOSS:
• The Edible parts of plants and animals intended as
food for humans, but not ultimately consumed (loss
(loss in mass, energy, economic or nutrition value)
• quantitative or qualitative
• Due to managerial and technical limitations in
harvesting techniques, storage, processing,
transportation, and marketing system, along food
value chains:

3. What is Food Loss and Waste
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FOOD WASTE
Mainly at consumption stage, linked to consumer behaviour, customs
and habits, retail practices, or inappropriate policy and regulations
which distort consumption, such as subsidies and standards.
Definitional Framework of Food Loss (FAO, 2014)
Available from http://www.fao.org/save-food/resources/publications/workingpapers/en/

4. Why is FLW important?
In the Near East and North Africa region,
~ 210 kg/capita/year (mass)
594 kcal/capita/day (energy)
1/3 of food
• Over $60 billion lost per year, or about $120 per capita (conservative estimate)
• Natural resources losses due to FLW,
o Water: 42 km3 /year lost to produce, handle, distribute lost or wasted food
o Land: 360 million Ha/year occupied by FLW
o Fertilizer, energy, labour, greenhouse gases...
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5. Why is FLW reduction important?
The challenge of food security...
• Growing populations and food demand
• Natural resource constraints to production
• Rising food prices, cost of living
• Triple burden of malnutrition
• Climate change etc..
The challenge in food systems...
 Dominance of smallholder farmers, traditional distribution
 Low levels of value addition
 Weak markets (information, infrastructure, legal and finance, enforcement of
standards and regulations, SPS, business support services, etc)
 Consumer shifts; growing urban markets, super/hypermarkets, preferences
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SOURCE: High Level Panel of Experts
on Food Security and Nutrition.
Committee on World Food Security, June 2014

6. FLW Reduction… finding solutions
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Magnitude of food losses in food supply chains
Benefits of food loss reduction
Impact and feasibility of solutions
Importance of different causes
Causes of food losses in food supply chains

7. FLW Reduction… finding solutions
Value chain approach ↔ Viable business case for firms
Feasibility / effectiveness of interventions:
- technically
- economically
- nutritionally, food security
- environmentally
- socially and culturally
- food quality and safety
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8. SAVE FOOD: Global Initiative on Food
Loss and Waste Reduction
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9. FLW Reduction in the NENA region
• FAO Regional Conference for the Near East (May 2012): Request from Member countries
for support in addressing FLW reduction in the Near East by conducting comprehensive
studies on impact of FLW in the region and in establishing a plan to: REDUCE FOOD
LOSSES AND WASTE IN THE REGION BY 50 % WITHIN 10 YEARS
• Regional Strategic Framework for FLW Reduction in Near East and North Africa (2014):
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DATA GATHERING,
ANALYTICAL
RESEARCH AND
KNOWLEDGE
GENERATION
AWARENESS RAISING,
PROMOTING GOOD
PRACTICES
PROMOTING
INVESTMENT AND
ENGAGING THE
PRIVATE SECTOR
POLICIES,
REGULATIONS
& STRENGTHEN
COLLABORATION AND
COORDINATION

10. FAO projects in Egypt
Capacity development & awareness-
raising for Wheat FLW reduction
• Training-of-trainer: 24 trainers
• Training-by-traininer: 451 trainees
(students, researchers, extension agents,
cooperative members)
Fish loss reduction project
• Fish loss assessment
• Capacity development (ToT)
• Study policy and regulatory
framework for Fish Loss
*Nouakchott Declaration (2013)
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11. FAO projects in Egypt
“Food Losses and Waste (FL&W) Reduction and Value Chain Development for Food
Security in Egypt and Tunisia” (2015-2018)
→ Support agro-enterprises and producers organizations to reduce FLW
through improved value chains, better postharvest handling, and more
effective marketing of primary and value-added food products.
Egypt component:
→ Value chains: tomato & grapes
→ Region: Nubaria, Sharqia
→ Food Loss assessment and value chain study → market-oriented solutions
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12. FAO projects in Egypt
“Food Losses and Waste (FL&W) Reduction and Value Chain Development for Food
Security in Egypt and Tunisia” (2015-2018)
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Objectives:
→ Generate knowledge and data on
FLW, and monitor loss levels.
→ Technical and managerial capacity
development
→ Technologies and good practices
→ improved business linkages

13. Way forward for FLW reduction
• Country-led process: Coherent, evidence-based national plans for FLW reduction, aligned
with national strategies and agriculture sector development plans; regional collaboration
• Multi-stakeholder approach: Engagement and consultation with all stakeholders, build
partnerships; focus at all levels-from production to consumption, across disciplines
(nutrition, education, health, industry..) and public, private and civil society
• Monitoring and assessment: Setting and measuring indicators for FLW reduction;
Deepening understanding of FLW within the national and regional food security context
• Investments for improving food chain efficiency: commitment to mobilize human and
financial resources, as well as access to capital.
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14. Food Loss and Waste
Monitoring & Evaluation Unit in Egypt
Activity under
“Food Loss and Waste Reduction and Value Chain Development for Food Security in
Egypt and Tunisia” GCP/RNE/004/ITA
Dalia Yassin
Senior Researcher
Agriculture Economic Research Institute
Agriculture Research Center
25 October 2017 / IFPRI Egypt Seminar in partnership with FAO
"Food Loss and Waste in Egypt"

15. Absence of data &
information exchange
Lack of awareness & technical capacity
For FLW reductionlack of accurate FLW data
High rate of food loss and waste along value chain
Individual and separate efforts
Poor agricultural practices
(pre and post harvest)
Different concepts for FWL
Absence of entity for
FLW reduction
Low productivity and
competitiveness
Low income of
producers
Loss of scarce natural
resources
Shortage of food availability
Negative economic ,
social and
environmental impact
Negative impact on
food security
Poor linkage & coordination
between stakeholders
of food value chain

16. Food Loss and Waste Monitoring in Egypt
Current Situation
• High rate of food loss and waste
along value chain .
• Different concepts.
• Separate efforts from all
stakeholders to reduce food
loss and waste.
Related Strategy
Reducing pre- and post-harvest
food loss is an important tool to
achieve one of strategic
objectives of (SADS- 2030)
“Achieving higher rates of food
security for agricultural
commodities

17. Goal
Establish an entity to be a platform for different
efforts with common understanding towards FLW
reduction in agriculture products in Egypt ,and helping
decision makers to develop policy, strategy and
programs for FLW reduction. (As one of the main activities of FLW
Reduction project)

18. FLW M&E Unit Vision
A unit to improve the collection, transparency, analysis, availability and dissemination
of data on FLW at all stages of the food value chain, and provide a platform for all
stakeholders to work together in a coordinated way to reduce FLW in food systems
and contribute to food security and nutrition in Egypt.
FLW M&E Unit Mission
Catalyzing and promoting a common understanding of the nature and scope of FLW
through adapting improved food loss assessment methodologies and establishing a
national partnership and alliance of public and private sector organizations with
commitment towards reducing FLW and strengthening food security.

19. Thank you
dalia.yassin@hotmail.com
Jennifer.Smolak@fao.org
"