The World Bank Group organised an International workshop on food loss and food waste that took place in Washington, DC from 7-9 November with the aim of discussing solutions and sharing experiences regarding this important issue. The International Co-operative Alliance was represented by its Director of Policy, Rodrigo Gouveia, that made a presentation regarding co-operative solutions to food waste, a compilation of several of the members’ initiatives in this domain.
The workshop was an opportunity to present the most recent data and analysis regarding food waste and the role that its prevention and reduction has in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), one-third of the food produced in the world is lost or wasted. This has enormous consequences in terms of the economy, society and the environment because of all the resources that are put into the production of that food also considering that there are still millions of people around the world dying of hunger.
Many co-operatives around the world are linked to the food supply chain, either through the production side (farmer and fishermen owned co-operatives) or the wholesale and retail side (purchasing and consumer co-operatives) and as responsible market actors they have put in place a vast array of initiatives that aim to prevent and reduce food waste.
Co-operatives have an important role to play in this field because they are values-based and people-centred enterprises that cover the whole of the food supply chain and are committed to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The workshop was an opportunity to present some of these initiatives and to develop the dialogue between the International Co-operative Alliance and other international institutions such as the FAO and the World Bank and other important stakeholders from the private sector and civil society.
Photo: World Bank building in Washington, the venue for the workshop
