In a warehouse on the outskirts of a city, crates of fresh produce arrive before dawn, but not all of it reaches consumers. Some items are damaged during transport, some remain unsorted for too long, and a portion is ultimately discarded. These losses, though often small at each step, accumulate across the food system and represent a significant global challenge.
Food loss and waste typically occur quietly across multiple decision points in the food supply chain, including when to harvest, how to store produce, what is acceptable for sale, and what is discarded. By the time food reaches consumers, it has already passed through a series of processes where inefficiencies and system gaps contribute to its loss.
To address this issue, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has launched a new open-access course titled “Tackling Food Loss and Waste across the Agrifood Systems” through its Virtual Learning Center. The course is designed to help learners understand where and why food loss occurs and how it can be reduced across different stages of the agrifood system.
Developed by FAO’s Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia in partnership with the International Food Waste Coalition programme under WRAP Europe, the course follows the food journey from production to processing, retail, and food service. It examines key causes of loss at each stage, such as production timing and market demand shifts, rejection of edible food due to strict standards in processing, and inefficiencies in forecasting, storage, and portioning in retail and hospitality.
FAO officials emphasize that reducing food loss requires more than measurement alone. It also demands practical action based on evidence. The course is designed to support this transition by helping practitioners identify root causes, apply solutions, and track progress over time using data-driven approaches.
The course incorporates established global methodologies, including FAO and UNEP frameworks and the Food Loss and Waste Accounting and Reporting Standard, along with practical approaches such as Target-Measure-Act. It provides tools, case studies, and real-world examples to help users assess economic and environmental impacts and implement solutions across the supply chain, including in hotels, restaurants, and catering services.
Co-developed and peer-reviewed by technical experts, the programme was pilot-tested in 2025 with 171 participants from 11 countries across Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Türkiye. Participants included farmers, processors, retailers, policymakers, and civil society actors, all working to understand and address food loss challenges in their respective roles.
The course is freely accessible worldwide and can be taken sequentially or used as a reference tool. Rather than offering a single solution, it provides practical guidance to help stakeholders measure, understand, and gradually reduce food loss and waste across the global food system.
