Innovations in measuring food losses
The essential first steps of addressing the problem of food loss are measuring the loss, identifying where in the food system it occurs, and developing effective policies to mitigate it along the value chain. Food loss has been defined in many ways, and disagreement remains over proper terminology a...
| Autores principales: | , , |
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| Formato: | Artículo preliminar |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
| Publicado: |
International Food Policy Research Institute
2021
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143093 |
| _version_ | 1855529784892719104 |
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| author | Delgado, Luciana Schuster, Monica Torero, Máximo |
| author_browse | Delgado, Luciana Schuster, Monica Torero, Máximo |
| author_facet | Delgado, Luciana Schuster, Monica Torero, Máximo |
| author_sort | Delgado, Luciana |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | The essential first steps of addressing the problem of food loss are measuring the loss, identifying where in the food system it occurs, and developing effective policies to mitigate it along the value chain. Food loss has been defined in many ways, and disagreement remains over proper terminology and methodology to measure it. In addition, none of the current classifications includes pre-harvest losses, such as crops lost to pests and diseases before harvest. Consequently, figures on food loss are highly inconsistent. The precise causes of food loss remain undetected, and success stories of reducing food loss are rare. We address this measurement gap by developing and testing three new measurement methodologies, as well as one traditional methodology. Our proposed methods account for losses from pre-harvest to product distribution and include both quantity losses and quality deterioration. We apply the instrument to producers, middlemen, and processors in seven staple food value chains in nine developing countries. Comparative results suggest that losses are highest at the producer level and most product deterioration occurs before harvest. Aggregated self-reported measures, which have been frequently used in the literature, consistently underestimate actual food losses. |
| format | Artículo preliminar |
| id | CGSpace143093 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2021 |
| publishDateRange | 2021 |
| publishDateSort | 2021 |
| publisher | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| publisherStr | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1430932025-11-06T06:41:23Z Innovations in measuring food losses Delgado, Luciana Schuster, Monica Torero, Máximo value chains supply chains measurement food losses attributes categories The essential first steps of addressing the problem of food loss are measuring the loss, identifying where in the food system it occurs, and developing effective policies to mitigate it along the value chain. Food loss has been defined in many ways, and disagreement remains over proper terminology and methodology to measure it. In addition, none of the current classifications includes pre-harvest losses, such as crops lost to pests and diseases before harvest. Consequently, figures on food loss are highly inconsistent. The precise causes of food loss remain undetected, and success stories of reducing food loss are rare. We address this measurement gap by developing and testing three new measurement methodologies, as well as one traditional methodology. Our proposed methods account for losses from pre-harvest to product distribution and include both quantity losses and quality deterioration. We apply the instrument to producers, middlemen, and processors in seven staple food value chains in nine developing countries. Comparative results suggest that losses are highest at the producer level and most product deterioration occurs before harvest. Aggregated self-reported measures, which have been frequently used in the literature, consistently underestimate actual food losses. 2021-12-14 2024-05-22T12:12:00Z 2024-05-22T12:12:00Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143093 en https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2020.101958 Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Delgado, Luciana; Schuster, Monica; and Torero, Maximo. 2021. Innovations in measuring food losses. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143093 |
| spellingShingle | value chains supply chains measurement food losses attributes categories Delgado, Luciana Schuster, Monica Torero, Máximo Innovations in measuring food losses |
| title | Innovations in measuring food losses |
| title_full | Innovations in measuring food losses |
| title_fullStr | Innovations in measuring food losses |
| title_full_unstemmed | Innovations in measuring food losses |
| title_short | Innovations in measuring food losses |
| title_sort | innovations in measuring food losses |
| topic | value chains supply chains measurement food losses attributes categories |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/143093 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT delgadoluciana innovationsinmeasuringfoodlosses AT schustermonica innovationsinmeasuringfoodlosses AT toreromaximo innovationsinmeasuringfoodlosses |