FAO creates regional alliance against food losses, waste

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) announced here Tuesday the creation of a Regional Alliance for Food Losses and Waste Reduction in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The creation of the alliance was a main agreement reached at a regional dialogue on food losses and waste held in the Dominican Republic at the end of September, and was in line with the new Sustainable Development Goals and the plan of Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) to eradicate hunger in the region.

According to an FAO press release, the region sees 223 kg of food lost or wasted per capita each year, a figure that countries are seeking to reduce by half by 2030.

"With only the food that is wasted or lost at the point of sale, we could satisfy all the alimentary needs of people suffering from hunger in our region," wrote Raul Benitez, the FAO representative in Latin America, in the press release.

"Eradicating hunger requires the elimination of food losses and a transition to a future where agricultural systems are sustainable, inclusive and efficient," he said. Endi