International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste

 The most significant food loss– and waste-related action in the United States in the last year occurred at the state level. California, the most populous state in the country, passed A law requiring food manufacturers and producers to simplify their date labels ; it was signed into law by Governor Gavin Newson in September 2024. Specifically, food is allowed to have one date visible on the packaging—either a “best by” date for products that are not perishable but may decline in quality, or a “use by” date for perishable products that present food safety concerns. This law will come into effect in 2026. Although this law is only directly applicable to California, it has strong potential to affect other states. Because California is a significant market for many food companies, it is likely that companies will apply the same packaging principles across the board rather than adopting one approach to date labeling within California and another elsewhere. Confusing date labels have b...

  Spain passed a significant law in 2025 addressing foodloss and waste across the entire food supply chain . The law introduces standardized definitions for food loss and waste and establishes a food loss and waste hierarchy prioritizinghuman consumption of all food products . Additionally, the law requires all food businesses above a determined size to develop and implement a food waste prevention plan within one year of the implementation of the law. The law also introduces financial penalties for businesses that fail to develop a prevention plan, apply the food loss and waste hierarchy, and donate unsold food. Penalties range from approximately €2,000 for minor infractions to approximately €500,000 for significant infractions . The law also lays out a series of best practices for food retailers and hospitality/food service providers and directs agencies to institute incentives for the adoption of these best practices. Finally, the law calls for the optimization of date labe...

 In late 2024, the Singapore Parliament passed a landmarkpiece of legislation to provide liability protections for fooddonors and intermediaries. In addition to the substantive legal protections afforded to food donors, the Bill is also the first piece of legislation focused on food donation in Singapore’s history. The passage of the Bill has helped to focus public attention on food donation to reduce food waste and address food insecurity . By providing legal protection for food donors and encouraging safe donations, the Bill is poised to increase food redistribution efforts across the country.

Japan is the first country to report a more than 50% reduction in national levels of food loss and waste , based on 2022 data released earlier this year. Compared to a base year of 2000, Japan has reported a 46% reduction in household-level food loss and waste and a 57% reduction in food loss and waste generated by businesses , totaling an overall 52 percent reduction. In response to this achievement, the government has strengthened its targets for 2030 to reflect a 60% reduction in food loss and waste generated by businesses and a 50% reduction within households . These data are generated from private sector reporting, statistical surveys, and garbage composition surveys conducted by approximately 200 local governments. Japan has achieved this reduction by tackling food loss and waste throughout the entire human food supply chain. Some of the interventions include: • food loss and waste data reporting by companies; • central government support for local planning relating to food l...

  Furthering previous efforts around food loss and waste within the European Union, the European Council and European Parliament reached a provisional agreement to Institute binding targets for food loss and waste reduction acrossEuropean Union member states . In line with previous negotiations covered in the 2024 Progress Report, the provisional agreement introduces 10 percent reduction targets within food processing and manufacturing and 30 percent per-capita reduction targets for retail, restaurants, food service providers, and households . The provisional agreement also tasks the European Commission with assessing loss and waste related to primary production, developing a correction factor to account for the effects of tourism on a country’s food loss and waste levels, and assessing overall achievability of targets. These matters would need to be reviewed by 2027. Member states are also separately tasked with taking targeted measures within their jurisdictions related to f...

  In 2024, Colombia enacted Ley 2380 de 2024 , a law designed to promote food donation and contribute to food security aspart of the country’s “Zero Hunger” objective . This law allows donors to claim a tax credit of up to 37 percent (raised from the previous 25 percent) of the value of donated food items and hygiene products. This discount can also include transportation and related costs incurred in delivering the donated items to food banks . By expanding benefits and minimizing tax barriers, Ley 2380 makes it easier for businesses to donate surplus food instead of discarding it.

FORUM : “ Stop Food Loss and waste, for the people, for the planet .” International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste 2024 . Reducing food loss and waste is crucial for improving food security and nutrition, promoting efficient resource use, mitigating hunger, protecting the environment, and fostering more equitable distribution of food resources globally . It is a climate solution that can be used by countries and communities to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This year we will continue to promote the reduction of food losses and waste by raising awareness about the magnitude and importance of this phenomenon in social, environmental and financial matters , thus contributing to guaranteeing food security for all and reducing gas emissions. Why is reducing food loss and waste important in contributing to agrifood systems transformation? . Follow the hashtags: #FLWday , #FoodWaste , #29september , #FoodLoss .

 The Food Recovery to Avoid Methane Emissions (FRAME) Methodology , developed by the Global FoodBanking Network  and its partners, launched in late 2024. This first-of-its-kind methodology provides guidance and tools for quantifying avoided emissions and co-benefits associated with the prevention of food loss and waste via food recovery and redistribution organizations. The methodology was piloted by six food banks in Mexico and Ecuador and is being expanded to include eight more countries throughout 2025. It allows food recovery organizations to provide credible evidence and precise measurements of how food banks can reduce methane emissions and food insecurity . Additionally, these data can provide evidence that countries and companies can achieve their climate goals while also reducing food insecurity. Finally, food banks that have been piloting FRAME are beginning to access Voluntary Carbon Markets and other climate financing mechanisms due to the rigor of their impac...