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FAO Food Loss Index methodology and policy implications

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  • Koester, Ulrich
  • Galaktionova, Ekaterina

Abstract

In 2015, all 193 UN member countries agreed to halve global food losses and waste by the year 2030. In this article, we are going to explore why the first official study on food loss and waste (FLW) by Gustavsson et al. FAO, 2011 cannot be used as a reasonable basis for policymaking – even though it underlies Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.3. Then we will look at the new proposal by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which aims to harmonise the methodology for FLW research employing the Food Loss Index (FLI). In particular, we are going to assess the suitability of the FLI as a tool for policymaking. We would like to highlight that although both papers have played an important role in raising awareness about the global problem of FLW and in encouraging further research, they do not solve such important issues as providing a unified definition of FLW, the aggregation of heterogeneous commodities within a single category, and the absence of a methodology and data, both of which are certainly needed for policymaking. The objective of the article is to start a discussion about those issues, as even the recent flagship FAO study (2019) openly presents such a dichotomy between on the one hand, the aggregated percentage number of the Food Loss Index and on the other hand, the call for specification and precision in shaping policy measures, based on cost/benefit analyses.

Suggested Citation

  • Koester, Ulrich & Galaktionova, Ekaterina, 2021. "FAO Food Loss Index methodology and policy implications," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 123(1), pages 1-7.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:espost:265137
    DOI: 10.7896/j.2093
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ulrich Koester & Jens‐Peter Loy & Yanjun Ren, 2020. "Food Loss and Waste: Some Guidance," EuroChoices, The Agricultural Economics Society, vol. 19(1), pages 17-21, April.
    2. Buzby, Jean C. & Hyman, Jeffrey, 2012. "Total and per capita value of food loss in the United States," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(5), pages 561-570.
    3. Koester, Ulrich, 2014. "Food loss and waste as an economic and policy problem," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 49(6), pages 348-354.
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    1. Csordás, Adrián, 2024. "Image-Based Solutions for Precision Food Loss Evaluation," AGRIS on-line Papers in Economics and Informatics, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Economics and Management, vol. 16(4), December.
    2. Maria Rosaria Maschio & Alessia Spada & Mariantonietta Fiore, 2024. "The Role of Communication Tools in the Knowledge and Diffusion of Sustainable Development Goals: Insights from Multiple Correspondence Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(24), pages 1-13, December.
    3. Sizwe Makhunga & Mbuzeleni Hlongwa & Khumbulani Hlongwana, 2025. "The Quality and Safety of Donated Food in Charitable Food Assistance Programs in eThekwini District, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-15, January.

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    JEL classification:

    • Q18 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Agricultural Policy; Food Policy; Animal Welfare Policy

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