Context

• Every year on September 29, the world observes the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW).
• Far from being symbolic, this occasion underscores a crisis that quietly undermines both global food security and climate stability.
• Nearly one-third of all food produced worldwide is either lost or wasted, representing not only a missed opportunity to nourish people but also an immense drain on natural resources.
• As one of the world’s largest food producers, India faces this challenge acutely, with post-harvest losses imposing heavy economic, social, and environmental costs.

The Scale of the Problem

• India’s agricultural sector experiences substantial post-harvest losses across diverse crops and commodities.
• A 2022 study by NABCONS revealed that losses remain alarmingly high, cutting across fruits, vegetables, cereals, and livestock products.
• The economic toll is estimated at nearly ₹1.5 trillion annually, equivalent to 3.7% of India’s agricultural GDP.
• Fruits and vegetables are most at risk, with 10–15% spoilage rates, while even staples like wheat (4.2%) and paddy (4.8%) are far from immune.
• These figures translate into more than foregone nutrition; each tonne of food wasted reflects squandered water, energy, and labour.
• When scaled across India’s vast production, millions of tonnes of food are lost annually, with grave implications for farmer incomes, national food availability, and climate stability.

Food Loss and Climate Change

• Recent collaborative research by the FAO and NIFTEM, supported by the Green Climate Fund, quantified greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with post-harvest and retail waste across 30 crops and livestock products in India.
• Their findings were striking: modest percentage losses in cereals, particularly methane-intensive paddy, generate over 10 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions each year.
• Losses in livestock products, given their high resource footprint, compound the environmental burden.
• In total, food loss from these commodities contributes more than 33 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions annually.
• Unlike high-income countries where waste occurs primarily at the consumer end, India’s food loss happens largely at early stages, handling, processing, and distribution.
• This points to systemic challenges: inadequate infrastructure, fragmented supply chains, and limited adoption of modern technologies.

Pathways to Solutions

• Strengthening Infrastructure
  • While the scale of India’s food loss problem is daunting, solutions are within reach. Strengthening infrastructure is the cornerstone.
  • Cold chains, encompassing pre-cooling facilities, refrigerated transport, and modern storage, are vital for perishables such as dairy, meat, fruits, and vegetables.
  • Initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY) are already working to modernise India’s food logistics
• Affordable and Decentralized Technologies
  • In addition to large-scale infrastructure, affordable and decentralised technologies can empower smallholders.
  • Solar-powered cold storage units, low-cost cooling chambers, durable crates, and moisture-proof silos are practical tools to curb spoilage.
  • Complementing these are digital innovations: IoT sensors, AI-driven forecasting, and mobile platforms such as FAO’s Food Loss App (FLAPP), launched in 2023 and already used in over 30 countries, which help track and mitigate losses along the value chain.
• Foodbanks and Community Kitchens
  • At the retail and consumer level, surplus food can be redirected to food banks and community kitchens, ensuring nutritional redistribution.
  • Unavoidable waste can still serve productive purposes, being converted into compost, animal feed, or bioenergy.
  • Realising these circular solutions, however, requires robust policy support, from subsidies and credit guarantees to incentives for private sector participation.
• Shared Responsibility
  • Food loss is not a problem any single actor can solve in isolation. Governments must embed food loss reduction into national climate strategies and invest in resilient infrastructure.
  • Businesses must adopt circular economic models and scale technological innovations.
  • Civil society and academia can advance research and advocacy, while consumers must cultivate mindful practices to minimize waste and support redistribution efforts.

Conclusion

• The observance of IDAFLW is more than a reminder, it is a call to collective action.
• India stands at a crossroads where tackling food loss is essential not only to secure nutrition for its people but also to meet its climate goals and conserve overstretched resources.
• Every meal saved represents not just sustenance but also a safeguard for ecosystems and livelihoods.
• In this light, an empty plate should never signify waste; it should symbolise nourishment shared and resources preserved.