Food waste in the retail sector of Bogotá
Problems
Reducing food waste is a critically important issue that is rising up the global agenda. With the world’s population growing, the challenge is to produce and distribute enough food for everyone. This not only resonates in the sphere of food security, but also raises crucial questions about the ways in which we produce and distribute food. The causes of food waste include low investment in technology in the production chain; insufficient logistical infrastructure for food transport; weaknesses in the habits of preparation, consumption, final disposal of food in gastronomic establishments and households; and lack of circular economy initiatives. These causes, among others, generate 9.7 million tons of food waste annually in Colombia, which could feed 8 million people for a year.
Solutions
Resilience carried out a study for Conexión LA to identify and analyse the normative framework and private protocols related to food production, storage, transport and marketing in the retail sector in Bogotá (excluding hotels, restaurants and catering – HORECA).
Impact
The study culminated in the formulation of more than 40 recommendations addressed to the different categories of actors (national, local, civil society, academia), the two main recommendations being: 1) Understand that food waste is not a static but a dynamic phenomenon, depending on multiple factors and caused by multiple actors; 2) Create a “zero waste agreement” with actors from several sectors such as retail (incl. HORECA), but also schools, universities, the public sector and civil society. These agreements would serve as spaces to discuss possible causes and solutions to food waste; for the articulation of projects and initiatives that promote the positive transformation of food supply chains; and for the positioning of the issue of prevention and reduction of food waste.
Bogotá, 110110, Colombia
Team members
Timeframe
2023
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