Around one third of all food production is lost or wasted. This book provides a comprehensive review of the causes and prevention of food losses and waste at key steps in the supply chain, for different commodities and across particular regions.

This book provides a comprehensive review of the causes and prevention of food losses and waste (FLW) at key steps in the supply chain. The book begins by defining what is meant by food losses and waste and then assessing current research on its economic, environmental and nutritional impact. Part 2 assesses what we know about FLW at different stages in the supply chain, from cultivation, harvesting and storage, through processing and distribution to retail and consumer use. The third part of the book looks at FLW for particular commodities, including cereals and grains, fresh fruit and vegetables, roots and tubers, oilseeds and tubers, meat and dairy products, and fish and seafood products. Part 4 discusses general approaches to reducing FLW, including education and recycling campaigns, whilst the final section in the book reviews the effectiveness of campaigns to reduce FLW in regions such as North and Latin America, Asia and the Pacific, the Middle East and, sub-Saharan Africa. With its breadth of coverage and expertise, this will be a standard reference for all those interested in understanding and preventing food losses and waste.