Innovation has led to the world’s first food loss and waste calculator that instantly estimates the value of food loss and waste in terms of the nutrition being lost and environmental impacts. Used alongside the Food Loss and Waste Accounting and Reporting Standard (which measures loss and waste by weight), stakeholders from business, government and academia can use the calculator to discuss, understand, and measure food loss and waste in terms that are most meaningful to them. This is critically important for effective public private engagement because it allows actors to identify a shared challenge and work together towards a common objective.
Importantly, the tool can be used retroactively and to assess impact across the whole value chain, from agricultural production to disposal. This means governments and businesses can not only calculate the value of previously saved food from both nutritional and environmental standpoints, but also identify areas in the value chain where there are the greatest losses. With this information, interventions can be targeted in a way that minimises nutrition, environmental and economic losses. Public and private sectors can use this information to identify effective ways to work together and maximise investment and impact.
