[International Food Loss and Food Waste Studies Group] Definitional Framework and Quantification Manual of Food Losses

[Héctor Barco]

Dear all,

 

We are Espigoladors, a gleaning Foundation and, at the moment, leading a work Package of the FOLOU European Project aiming for the development of a Definitional Framework and a Quantification Manual for Food Loss. 

We have to define the scope of everything that has been left out of the highly questionable European definition of food waste, which excludes all harvest and pre-harvest discards. There's even a debate about whether post-harvest flows are excluded, beyond animal feed and by-products.  

In addition, we had to create a measurement protocol so that a public administration (from a company, city, region, or country) or even an individual farm can tackle the challenge of measuring these food losses. This has been an attempt to answer the WHAT, WHERE, HOW, and WHEN to measure despite the complexity of measuring such different realities as different types of crops, different territories... But we think it's necessary to move forward despite the complexities, as it's the only way not to stand still and finally make these field discards visible.    

We have recently prepared the first version of the document and right now we are interested in contacting with international experts that would be open to review the document and participating in a round table to discuss specific issues where less consensus is reached. Of course, we would like to include other visions and ideas out from the EU.

  

In case you would be interested in reviewing the documents, please, register in the following google forms: 

https://forms.gle/YUuk985cpkvanscM7

Contribution to harmonization in Food Losses FOLOU - Bringing knowledge and consensus to prevent and reduce food loss at the primary production stage. understanding, measuring, training and adopting We would appreciate your opinion and contribution in the ongoing developments made by the project. Please, send your feedback to folou(@)uvic.cat forms.gle

  

And of course, in case you have any doubt don’t hesitate to ask! 

 

 All the best,