Reducing On-Farm Food Losses
In the OIC Member Countries
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assortment of data on physical and quality losses during the harvest and the on-farm handling
period on each farm through questions to farmers and field workers, direct measurements of
food losses, and observations of harvesting and handling practices. Photos documented
incidents of food damage, defects or decay.
Quality sorting was performed by the consultant via a random selection of 20 produce samples
on each farm. Percentages (number out of count of 20) were based on a quality sort with ratings
from 5 to register extreme defects, decay or damage; 3 for moderate defects, decay or damage;
and 1 for no defects, decay or damage.
For each case study, a summary of the causes of on-farm losses for the specific crop or food
product, examples of how to reduce these losses, the lessons learned and general
recommendations for reducing on-farm losses for the food group are provided.
1.3 Overview of Global Food Losses and Waste
The percentages of food losses and waste of the edible parts of food products in different
commodity groups (cereals, roots and tubers, oilseeds and pulses, fruits and vegetables, meat,
dairy products, fish and seafood) differ in the various regions world. At this time, a lack of solid
data on OIC Member Countries does not enable a valid comparison between the OIC Member
Countries and the data that exists for rest of the world.
Globally, food loss and waste average one-third of the total food produced based on weight. This
amounted to 1.3 billion tonnes of lost food in 2009. When converted into calories, global food
loss and waste are equal to approximately 24% of all food produced (Lipinski et al 2013). This
is a loss of 1.5 quadrillion kilocalories per year.
Fruits and vegetables and roots and tuber crops all have the highest rates of quantitative losses,
in part due to their high water content. Global quantitative food losses and waste per year are
roughly 30% for cereals, 40-50% for root crops, fruits and vegetables, 20% for oil seeds, meat
and dairy, and 30% for fish (Gustavsson et al 2011). This global FAO study was based on the
available literature at the time, and calculated estimated weight losses based upon reported
measurements, surveys and observations of experts (SIK 2013).
1.4 Types of Food Losses and Waste
There are three major types of food losses:
 Quantitative losses: loss of weight, loss of volume; discards due to physical damage or
serious decays.
 Qualitative losses: damage, loss of freshness, poor visual appearance, changes in color,
wilting, yellowing, dehydration or water loss, decay symptoms, or nutritional losses.
 Economic losses: loss of monetary value per kilogram (kg) or per unit.