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4. Causes and prevention
of food losses and waste
Food is wasted throughout the FSC, from initial agricultural production down to final household
consumption. In medium- and high-income countries food is to a high extent wasted, meaning that it
is thrown away, even if it is still suitable for human consumption. Significant food loss and waste do,
however, also occur earlier in the food supply chain. In low-income countries food is mostly lost during
the production-to-processing stages of the food supply chain.
In industrialized countries food gets lost when production exceeds demand. In order to ensure delivery
of agreed quantities while anticipating unpredictable bad weather or pest attacks, farmers sometimes
make production plans on the safe side, and end-up producing larger quantities than needed, even if
conditions are “average”. In the case of having produced more than required, some surplus crops are sold
to processors or as animal feed. However, this is often not financially profitable considering lower prices
in these sectors compared to those from retailers.
Prevention: Communication and cooperation between farmers. Cooperation among farmers could reduce
risk of overproduction by allowing surplus crops from one farm to solve a shortage of crops on another
(Stuart, 2009).
In developing countries and, sometimes, developed countries, food may be lost due to premature harvesting.
Poor farmers sometimes harvest crops too early due to food deficiency or the desperate need for cash
during the second half of the agricultural season. In this way, the food incurs a loss in nutritional and
economic value, and may get wasted if it is not suitable for consumption.
Prevention: Organizing small farmers and diversifying and upscaling their production and marketing.
Small resource-poor farmers can be organized in groups to produce a variety of significant quantities
of cash crops or animals. In this way they can receive credit from agricultural financial institutions or
advance payments from buyers of the produce.
Box 2. Snapshot case: appearance quality standards
Carrot quality standards, by the supermarket chain Asda
As research for the book ‘Waste – understanding the global food scandal’ (2009), Tristram Stuart visited several
British farms in order to understand how quality standards affect the level of food waste. Among others, Stuart
visited M.H. Poskitt Carrots in Yorkshire, a major supplier to the supermarket chain Asda. At the farm, the
author was shown large quantities of out-graded carrots, which, having a slight bend, were sent off as animal
feed. In the packing house, all carrots passed through photographic sensor machines, searching for aesthetic
defects. Carrots that were not bright orange, had a blend or blemish or were broken were swept off into a
livestock feed container. As staff at the farm put it: “Asda insist that all carrots should be straight, so customers
can peel the full length in one easy stroke” (Stuart, 2009). In total, 25-30% of all carrots handled by M.H.
Poskitt Carrots were out-graded. About half of these were rejected due to physical or aesthetic defects, such as
being the wrong shape or size; being broken or having a cleft or a blemish.
Chapter 4 − Causes and prevention of food losses and waste 11
High ‘appearance quality standards’ from supermarkets for fresh products lead to food waste. Some
produce is rejected by supermarkets at the farm gate due to rigorous quality standards concerning weight,
size, shape and appearance of crops. Therefore, large portions of crops never leave the farms. Even though
some rejected crops are used as animal feed, the quality standards might divert food originally aimed for
human consumption to other uses (Stuart, 2009).
Prevention: Consumer surveys by supermarkets. Supermarkets seem convinced that consumers will not
buy food which has the ‘wrong’ weight, size or appearance. Surveys do however show that consumers are
willing to buy heterogeneous produce as long as the taste is not affected (Stuart, 2009). Consumers have
the power to influence the quality standards. This could be done by questioning them and offering them
a broader quality range of products in the retail stores.
Prevention: Sales closer to consumers. Selling farm crops closer to consumers without having to pass the
strict quality standards set up by supermarkets on weight, size and appearance would possibly reduce the
amount of rejected crops. This could be achieved through, e.g., farmers markets and farm shops (Stuart,
2009).
Poor storage facilities and lack of infrastructure cause post-harvest food losses in developing countries. Fresh
products like fruits, vegetables, meat and fish straight from the farm or after the catch can be spoilt in hot
climates due to lack of infrastructure for transportation, storage, cooling and markets (Rolle, 2006; Stuart,
2009).
Prevention: investment in infrastructure and transportation. Governments should improve the
infrastructure for roads, e