Context

• Food loss and waste are major global challenges with far-reaching consequences for food security, nutrition, climate change, natural resources and economic productivity.
• India produces enough food to feed its population of 1.4 billion, yet substantial quantities are lost across the agrifood value chain.
• Reducing these losses can generate a triple win: improving food security and nutrition, reducing environmental pressures and emissions, and enhancing incomes and productivity.
• The International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste on September 29 underlines the importance of addressing this issue.

India’s Evidence Base, a Global First

• India has developed an important foundation for tackling food loss through three nationally representative post-harvest loss surveys, making it the only country to have conducted such a sustained exercise.
• The Ministry of Food Processing Industries conducted surveys during 2005-07, 2012-14 and 2020-22, covering an increasing number of commodities from farm to retail. A fourth survey is now under way.
• This evidence supports India's reporting under the Food Loss Index of the Sustainable Development Goals and helps identify areas requiring intervention.
• However, significant data gaps remain. Existing assessments focus mainly on farm and supply-chain losses, while systematic information on food waste in households, retail, hotels and restaurants remains limited.
• Better data is essential for identifying loss hotspots, directing investment and measuring policy outcomes. 

From Measurement to Action

• Better storage, drying, cooling, moisture management and processing can substantially reduce post-harvest losses.
• Digital technologies, particularly traceability systems, can improve the movement and management of food throughout supply chains.
• Food loss and waste should be integrated into agricultural planning, food-processing strategies, climate action and investment decisions.
• Financial resources must target technologies and infrastructure with high potential impact while ensuring that solutions remain affordable and accessible to small farmers, producer organisations and small businesses.
• A circular-economy approach can further enhance resource efficiency.
• Surplus edible food can be redistributed, while unavoidable organic residues can be converted into compost, biogas and energy, reducing environmental damage and creating additional economic value. 

Wholesale Markets, Overlooked Opportunity

• Assessments by the FAO and COSAMB indicate that major wholesale markets can generate up to 100 tonnes of organic waste per day.
• Nationally, this amounts to an estimated 3.5 million tonnes annually, while large quantities of urban organic waste end up in landfills.
• Treating this waste as a resource rather than a liability can reduce emissions and create economic opportunities.
• Its effective utilisation could potentially offset approximately 3.3 million tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions annually.
• A 50-tonne-per-day bio-CNG plant in Surat, Gujarat, demonstrates how market waste can be converted into useful energy.
• The project reportedly reduces methane-related emissions by approximately 7,500 tonnes annually.
• Such models should be adapted to local commodity mixes, infrastructure and market conditions.
• Municipalities and market committees can strengthen waste segregation, collection and treatment, while developing markets for compost, biogas and other recovered materials.

Investment and innovation

• India must move from isolated interventions towards a coordinated national approach with financing at its core.
• Partnerships involving the FAO and SIDBI can connect food-loss hotspots with climate-resilient technologies, including improved drying, moisture control, energy-efficient cooling and storage.
• Access to finance is especially important for small and medium enterprises, enabling them to adopt technologies that reduce losses and improve productivity.
• Urban areas also require systematic solutions. A practical Package of Practices for urban food-loss and waste management can enable municipalities to measure, prevent, reduce, redistribute and valorise waste across households, wholesale markets, retail and food-service establishments.

Key Challenges

• Despite significant progress, several challenges require attention:
  • Inadequate data on consumer-level and urban food waste.
  • Insufficient storage and cold-chain infrastructure.
  • Limited access to finance and modern technologies among small producers and enterprises.
  • Weak segregation and treatment of organic waste.
  • Fragmented interventions across agricultural, urban and climate policies.
  • Limited markets for compost, biogas and other recovered resources.
• Addressing these challenges requires coordinated action among governments, farmers, businesses, financial institutions, municipalities and research organisations. 

The Way Forward

• India now has data, technology and viable models to substantially reduce food loss and waste.
• The way forward should focus on:
  • Closing data gaps across the entire food system.
  • Expanding storage, cooling, drying and processing infrastructure.
  • Providing affordable finance and technology to farmers and small businesses.
  • Strengthening digital traceability and supply-chain management.
  • Promoting food redistribution and circular-economy solutions.
  • Developing efficient systems for segregating and treating organic waste.
  • Integrating food-loss reduction into agricultural, food-processing, urban and climate policies.

Conclusion

• Food loss and waste should not be viewed merely as an agricultural or waste-management problem.
• They represent a broader challenge involving food security, environmental sustainability, climate action and economic efficiency.
• India has already established a strong evidence base and demonstrated that technological and circular solutions are viable.
• The priority now is to scale these initiatives through better data, targeted investment, modern infrastructure, accessible finance and coordinated policymaking.
• By transforming wasted food and organic residues into productive resources, India can strengthen food security, conserve natural resources, reduce emissions and build a more resilient, efficient and sustainable agrifood system.