During the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) Plenary Session 43, the Postharvest Network is co-organizing a Side Event, entitled “Food losses and waste in the context of metropolitan food and nutrition security”. Other co-organizers are Wageningen University & Research, CCAFS, the Dutch Ministries of Economic and Foreign Affairs and FAO.

Background information

The growing world population, urbanization and growing middle classes will increase already existing challenges for metropolitan food and nutrition security. The supply of (mega) cities with healthy and fresh products needs robust and efficient supply chains in order to provide sufficient food in good quality and for affordable prices.

Surrounding rural areas will be key for supplying cities and strong urban-rural linkages are needed in order to come to solutions. The urban-rural transformation has a significant impact on this development.

Food losses and waste are a significant indicator of inefficient food systems and without interventions these will only increase leading to even more losses in social (food security), economic (loss of profit) and ecological (impact on resource use) respect.

Building further on recommendations from the HLPE report #8 ‘Food losses and waste in the context of sustainable food systems’ and in cooperation with UNEP we will present an outline on what the future of metropolitan food and nutrition security could look like and which role the reduction of food losses and waste will play. The discussion will explore examples of good practices, possible interventions, monitoring tools, and the role of governmental players, private sector, knowledge institutions and civil society.

Programme

13.00 – Ms Nina Waldhauer, Project Manager Supply Chain Management, Wageningen University & Research.
Topic: The global challenge of metropolitan food security: How to translate into local solutions?

13.10 – Mr Guido Santini, Programme Coordinator – Food for the Cities Programme, Rural and urban crop and mechanization systems (AGPML), FAO.
Ms Camelia Bucatariu, Technical Officer (Food Waste), Global Initiative on Food Loss and Waste Reduction (SAVE FOOD), Nutrition and Food Systems Division (ESN), FAO
Topic: City Region Food Systems and Food Waste Management: Linking Urban and Rural Areas for Sustainable and Resilient Development.

13.20 – Ms Larissa Uwase, Chief Operations Officer & Co-founder, Carl Group Ltd.
Topic: The role of innovations in reducing food losses and wastes for sustainable urban food systems

Moderator: Mr Hans Hoogeveen, Netherlands Representative to the FAO

Interaction and discussion with the audience.

Flyer

Download the flyer of the CFS 43 Side Event “Food losses and waste in the context of metropolitan food and nutrition security”.