Food losses refer to the decrease in edible food mass throughout the part of the supply chain that
specifically leads to edible food for human consumption. Food losses take place at production, postharvest
and processing stages in the food supply chain (Parfitt et al., 2010). Food losses occurring at
the end of the food chain (retail and final consumption) are rather called “food waste”, which relates to
retailers’ and consumers’ behavior. (Parfitt et al., 2010).
“Food” waste or loss is measured only for products that are directed to human consumption, excluding
feed and parts of products which are not edible. Per definition, food losses or waste are the masses of
food lost or wasted in the part of food chains leading to “edible products going to human consumption”.
Therefore food that was originally meant to human consumption but which fortuity gets out the
human food chain is considered as food loss or waste even if it is then directed to a non-food use (feed,
bioenergy…). This approach distinguishes “planned” non-food uses to “unplanned” non-food uses,
which are hereby accounted under losses.