IDB and Partners organize second Summit on Food Loss and Waste Reduction

WASHINGTON, USA – In Latin America and the Caribbean, one third of all food produced for human consumption is lost and wasted annually. In the first stages of the supply chain, between production and processing, 220 million tons of food are lost. Much more is lost at the marketing and consumption stages. This phenomenon occurs in a context where more than 60 million people suffer from severe food insecurity.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the ministry of agriculture, livestock and fisheries of the government of Argentina are joining forces to organize the 2nd Food Loss and Waste Reduction Summit for Latin America and the Caribbean, to create a space for dialogue and exchange of experiences between the public and private sectors to accelerate the implementation of a food loss and waste reduction agenda throughout the region.

Among other topics, the potential of food loss and waste reduction for addressing climate change and food security will be discussed, as well as the progress being made in the region in terms of public policy and legislation. Different strategies and instruments that seek to expand access to financing will be presented, as well as innovations and success stories in the private sector, including actions in food supply centers and marketplaces. The Summit will also be a space for capacity building in the quantification of food loss and waste, an effort that is being led by FAO and UNEP throughout the region.

The Summit is promoted by the #SinDesperdicio platform, which since 2018 has been working in coordination with private partners to solve this problem through four lines of action: innovation, public policy, knowledge and the promotion of responsible consumption and production. The Summit will define the medium (2025) and long term (2030) priorities in terms of reducing food loss and waste in the region, which will be included in a policy brief to be developed in coordination with the platform’s partners.

The IDB Group’s Vision 2025 includes among its objectives increasing resilience to climate change and regional economic integration. During the Summit, representatives of the public and private sectors will discuss how to reduce the economic costs of food loss and waste, which are estimated at US$1.6 trillion per year at a global level ($700 billion in environmental costs and about $900 billion in social costs). The environmental cost of this phenomenon is also large. More than 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions are caused by food loss and waste.

The Summit will take place on November 17 and 18 and will be broadcast live on the YouTube Live platform