Current Status of Food Losses in the APEC region

Current Status of Food Losses in the APEC region

Dr. David Hong President of

Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (TIER)

OutlineOutline

4

Introduction1

2

3

5

Different Challenges

What Existing Research Shows

What Need To Be Done?

Conclusion

Introduction (1)Introduction (1)Significance of Food Losses in APEC

Population: APEC’s population accounts for 41% of world population

Food Production: APEC accounts for 53% of global cereal production and about 70% of fish production.

Food Losses in APEC: • However, according to UN Industrial Development Organization

(Unido), post-harvest losses in Asia along are estimated at 30% of global food production annually, valued at $5 billion.

• The number of food losses in the APEC region is likely to be higher.

APEC highlights the importance of food losses

2012 Sept.2012 Sept.

2012 May2012 May 2010 Oct.2010 Oct.

20122012 20102010

2012 APEC Leaders’ Declaration

2012 Kazan Declaration on APEC

Food Security

2010 Niigata Declaration on APEC

Food Security

ATCWG’s Medium-Term Workplan

(2010-2015)

PPFS’s Action Plan for2012-2013

Introduction (2)Introduction (2)

• Mainly food losses• extensive education of farmers,• improved infrastructures to connect small-scale farmers to markets,• effective value chains that provide sufficient financial incentives at the farmer level,• collective marketing and improved technologies supported by access to microcredit, etc.

Developing

Economies

• Mainly food waste• more efforts on taxation,• legal regulations, • consumer education campaigns, etc.

DevelopedEconomies

Different Challenges Different Challenges

Different Situations of Food LossesDifferent Situations of Food Losses

Source: Gustavsson et al. (2011), data from FAO and PSU.

Global Food losses in high-and-medium income economies and low-income economies

About 30% of food is lost along the entire food supply chain in both developed and developing economies.

Food losses are larger in low-income economies at the beginning of the supply chain from production to post-harvest segments; food losses in high-and-medium incomeeconomies are larger at the

marketing and consumption stages of the supply chain.

• It shows that the different situations of food losses between developed and developing economies

In comparison, 24% of food is lost in low-income economies from production to processing, while 19%

of food is lost in high-and-medium-incomeeconomies in these stages.

.

14% of food is wasted during distribution and consumption stages in high-and-medium-income economies; but only

7.6% of food is wasted during the same stages in low-income economies.

Two MajorChallenges First, data on food losses are

extremely limited and outdated

• Data on food losses vary by different economies;• Available data on food losses are usually

outdated;• The types and coverage of food losses data

also differ by different economies. • No consistent and comparable data across

economies and across agricultural products

• Data on food losses vary by different economies;• Available data on food losses are usually

outdated;• The types and coverage of food losses data

also differ by different economies. • No consistent and comparable data across

economies and across agricultural products

What Existing Research Show (2)What Existing Research Show (2)

Two MajorChallenges

Second, no standardized methodology for measuring food losses across the agricultural products

• Difficult to estimate the exact situationof food losses;

• Difficult to conduct analysis on the possible solutions of food losses;

• Difficult to take a concrete action toaddress the issue of food losses;

• Difficult to design coordinated approaches to addressing the issues of food losses

• Difficult to estimate the exact situationof food losses;

• Difficult to conduct analysis on the possible solutions of food losses;

• Difficult to take a concrete action toaddress the issue of food losses;

• Difficult to design coordinated approaches to addressing the issues of food losses

According to FAO (2009), it is estimated 9% the food supply in the APEC region lost between production and before reaching the consumer.

Specifically, an estimated 14% of roots and tubers are lost in the supply chain, followed by fish and seafood (11%) and oilseeds and pulses (10%) (PSU, 2012)

What Existing Research Show (3)What Existing Research Show (3)

Available Assessments of Food Losses in APECAvailable Assessments of Food Losses in APEC

What Existing Research Show (4)What Existing Research Show (4)

• Food losses in developing APEC economies mostly occur inthe storage and transportation, particularly in the Southeast Asian APEC economies;

• Food losses are also high in developed APEC economies for these economies producing agricultural commodity

• Canada and US’s losses in roots and tubers are above 10%;

• Australia’s cereal losses are about 15%.• Food losses of dairy products largely happen

in developed APEC economies

To enhance the public awareness of the importance to reducing food losses in APEC member economies

To develop a comparable, consistent, and comprehensive methodology on assessing food losses across different agricultural products and across APEC economies

To improve data collection and to expand data coverage on food losses at different stages of the food supply chain in each APEC member economy

What Need to Be Done? (1)What Need to Be Done? (1)

Use an Information Platform

Coordinated Strategies & Action Plans

Strengthening Cooperation

Facilitate Exchanges

To develop concrete and coordinated strategies and action plans in reducing food losses in the APEC region by identifying specific targets and setting clear milestones for future accomplishment

To consider establishing or using an existing APEC platform for reducing food losses by collecting relevant information, statistics, policy, solution, best practices, etc., as a foundation for APEC collective action

To strengthening the cooperation and collaboration among APEC member economies on the policies and strategies in reducing food losses

To facilitate the exchanges of policies, data information, strategies, and best practices with regard to reducing food losses among APEC member economies

What Need to Be Done? (2)What Need to Be Done? (2)

ConclusionConclusion

Reducing Reducing Food Food

LossesLosses

• Current StatusWhat is the situation of food losses in each APEC economy?

• ChallengesWhat are the most critical challenges individual APEC economy facing in terms of reducing food losses?

• Policies & Strategies How does each APEC economy adopt policies and strategies to address food losses?

• Suggestions for APEC Cooperation

• It is imperative for individual APEC member economy and APEC as a whole to address food losses issues.

• However, we need to have better following information for follow-up cooperation.

How can APEC economies cooperate with each other to jointly make efforts to reduce food losses?

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