Food waste along the food supply chain: Spanish peaches and nectarines

Overview

Overview

The need: Quantifying food loss and waste (FLW) and its causes allows for more targeted and effective food waste interventions. Moreover, to effectively meet targets a good understanding of the current FLW situation is essential. In the region of Catalonia, in Spain, the public company that has competencies over the waste generated and managed (the Waste Agency of Catalonia [ARC]), recognise the need to quantify the current FLW situation.

The solution: Following a 2016 study, promoted by ARC, workshops identified the peaches and nectarines (PN) sector as a good starting point to carry out whole supply chain FLW quantification. ARC hired the Center for Agro-Food Economy and Development (CREDA-UPC-IRTA) to implement the quantification, which was carried out between September and December 2017. The quantification analysed FLW across a number of different lifecycle stages of the PN supply chain.

The benefit: The project highlighted the causes and areas of FLW across the PN supply chain and proposed seven targeted food waste reduction objectives as a result. These included, for example, increasing knowledge and awareness of FLW along the supply chain and promoting transparency and traceability of FLW.