Food losses and waste - business

Food losses and waste - in Swedish, matsvinn - is food that could have been eaten, but for some reasons has not been. There are several reasons behind food losses and waste, and several different measures are required in different parts of the food supply chain to attain the goal of reducing such waste.

Most of the food waste occurs in private households, but what happens in the food supply chain before the food reaches the consumer affects how much food waste arises in households.

Likewise, requirements and behaviours at the industry, retail, and consumer level are causing food losses at farms and processing plants. For example, consumers are often very selective and tend to avoid imperfect-looking vegetables, or purchasers might cancel fresh produce orders with short notice.

To succeed in reducing food losses and waste, different actors need to collaborate across the supply chain.

Reviewed 2023-06-19