Regional Meeting: The Transformative Potential of Innovation and Technologies to Reduce Food Loss and Waste

Live broadcast

In Latin America and the Caribbean, food loss and waste (FLW) represents a critical challenge to the sustainability of agrifood systems, food security and nutrition. Approximately 11.6 percent of the food produced in the region is lost at the production and post-harvest stages, while globally, 19 percent of the food available for human consumption is wasted at the retail, food service and household levels.

The FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean promotes the transformation towards more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems.

Against this backdrop, and in the lead-up to the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, the Organization will convene the “Regional Meeting: The Transformative Potential of Innovation and Technologies to Reduce Food Loss and Waste” on 9–10 September 2026. The event will mark the official launch of a cycle of action, technical advocacy and awareness-raising activities culminating on 29 September, the official date of the observance.

Objectives

The regional meeting aims to promote technology transfer, the analysis of regulatory frameworks and tax incentives, and the exchange of empirical evidence and statistical data to support the measurement, prevention and reduction of food loss and waste in Latin America and the Caribbean, officially launching the regional agenda.

During the meeting, the “Digital Food Loss and Waste Toolkit” will be presented. It includes the publication “Reducing and Preventing Food Loss and Waste in Latin America and the Caribbean: Technology Assessment and Opportunities”; a new self-paced virtual course available on the FAO Campus platform; the technical study “Regulatory Approaches and Good Practices in the Implementation of the Voluntary Code of Conduct for Food Loss and Waste Reduction”; as well as legal guidance notes and statistical publications.

Participants

• Government focal points on food loss and waste from Ministries of Agriculture, Environment, Social Development and Health.
• Parliamentarians and representatives of the region’s Parliamentary Fronts against Hunger.
• Researchers, research centres and the agrifood academic community.
• Private sector representatives, technology platforms, retailers and food bank networks.
• Civil society organizations and producer associations and networks.
• Officers and technical teams from FAO Country, Subregional and Regional Offices.