Towards a Regional Framework of Action for food loss and waste reduction in the Near East and North Africa region

Cairo, 19 April – Food loss and waste (FLW) are a manifestation of poorly functioning agrifood systems. They have negative impacts on the economy, food security, nutrition, and the environment. Recent estimates by FAO (2019) and UNEP (2021) show that 11 percent of the food produced is lost in the Near East and North Africa region (NENA) from post-harvest until before retail stage. Seventy-three to 165 kilograms is wasted in hotels, restaurants, catering and household consumption per capita/year. This does not even include losses at pre harvest/slaughter and loss in food quality, which are not accounted for in the FLW estimate.

The FAO Regional Office for NENA kicked-off a process towards a Regional Framework of Action for FLW Reduction. The framework will support member countries to develop strategies, policies, institutions and legislation capacity, that aim to effectively and sustainably reduce FLW while promoting more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems.

Maryam Rezaei, Agro-industry officer in FAO-RNE highlighted: “a regional framework of action will guide countries to design their own national frameworks that facilitate transformative changes in the agrifood systems. It helps reduction of FLW at scale, while also serving intra-regional efforts such as on strengthening trade, food safety regulations and transboundary pest control.” 

So far, two consultations have taken place to ensure that the framework is inclusive, action and impact-oriented and responds to the challenges and needs of the countries in the region. 

A policymaker consultation was held on 29 March, gathering senior officials from member countries across the region to discuss FLW reduction priorities and challenges. Data and quantitative measurement of FLW, capacity development for all actors in agrifood systems, institutional collaboration and coordination were emphasized as priorities. Countries identified the need to align FLW reduction with climate action, circularity, recycling and reuse, and building resilience against the impacts of crisis and risks, especially to livelihoods of vulnerable groups.

A multi stakeholder consultation on 19 April gathered over 50 experts and practitioners from the private sector, civil society, research and academia, and development partners working on FLW to lend their diverse views to the priorities around FLW reduction and share information about their experiences and initiatives.

The framework itself draws on the Voluntary Code of Conduct for Food Loss and Waste Reduction (CoC), developed at the request of the FAO member states, and builds on the 2014 Regional Strategic Framework Reducing Food Losses and Waste in the Near East & North Africa Region to better reflect the current context of climate change, geopolitical realities, conflict and protracted crisis on agrifood systems in NENA.

It also aligns with parallel processes that place FLW reduction at the heart of agrifood systems: the UNFCCC climate change conferences COP27 and COP28 to be held in Egypt and UAE; the UN Food Systems Summit and national food systems transformation pathways put forward by NENA countries; and the Decade of Action to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals especially accelerating progress towards SDG target 12.3 on FLW reduction. 

Reducing food loss and waste along the value chain has been a programme priority area for FAO, globally and in the NENA region to support a just transition to more sustainable, resilient and efficient production and consumption patterns.

Building on the result of the two stakeholder meetings and through additional data collection, the regional framework of action will be drafted, validated and launched by early 2023.