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Article

Assessing Food Loss and Waste in Chile: Insights for Policy and Sustainable Development Goals

by
Daniel Durán-Sandoval
1,*,
Gemma Durán-Romero
2 and
Ana M. López
3
1
Facultad de Ingeniería y Negocios, Universidad de Las Américas, Avenue República 71, Santiago 8370040, Chile
2
Departamento de Estructura Económica, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
3
Instituto L.R. Klein, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Resources 2024, 13(7), 91; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources13070091
Submission received: 1 March 2024 / Revised: 5 June 2024 / Accepted: 24 June 2024 / Published: 27 June 2024

Abstract

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that Latin America and the Caribbean experienced the most rapid rise in food insecurity, with approximately 47.7 million individuals in the region affected by hunger in 2022. In Chile, almost three million people, 15.6% of the country’s population, do not have regular access to sufficient nutritious food and suffer from some form of food insecurity. Moreover, Chile is particularly susceptible to the impacts of climate change and contends with the depletion of several critical natural resources, notably water, stemming from severe and prolonged drought conditions. This article aims to comprehensively evaluate food loss and waste (FLW) in Chile and analyzes the implications of FLW on the sustainable development goal (SDG). This will be achieved by utilizing a top-down mass balance methodology that integrates various data sources and an in-depth analysis of the main food categories at different stages of the food supply chain (FSC). In 2021, Chile generated 5.18 million tons of FLW, with fruit being the largest contributor at 2.5 million tons (48% of total FLW). Vegetables accounted for 0.8 million tons (16%). Other food groups each contributed 1% to 10% of the total FLW. Per capita FLW was 295 kg. FLW varied by food group and FSC stage. Fruits, vegetables, starchy roots, and pulses had the most FLW early in the FSC, while cereals had it later. Comparing FLW with the domestic supply quantity of food, it is observed that 68% of the fruit available for the population was discarded. Vegetables and starchy roots also showed significant volumes of discarded food, with 48% and 29% of the availability of these products in Chile. Furthermore, we explore the implications of FLW on realizing SDG 2—zero hunger, particularly emphasizing its correlation with target 12.3. The research underscores the potential of its findings to significantly shape public policies and strategies concerning FLW and their alignment with the associated SDGs, making a tangible impact on the lives of millions.
Keywords: food loss and waste; food supply chain; sustainable development goal (SDG); food security; environment; Chile food loss and waste; food supply chain; sustainable development goal (SDG); food security; environment; Chile

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MDPI and ACS Style

Durán-Sandoval, D.; Durán-Romero, G.; López, A.M. Assessing Food Loss and Waste in Chile: Insights for Policy and Sustainable Development Goals. Resources 2024, 13, 91. https://doi.org/10.3390/resources13070091

AMA Style

Durán-Sandoval D, Durán-Romero G, López AM. Assessing Food Loss and Waste in Chile: Insights for Policy and Sustainable Development Goals. Resources. 2024; 13(7):91. https://doi.org/10.3390/resources13070091

Chicago/Turabian Style

Durán-Sandoval, Daniel, Gemma Durán-Romero, and Ana M. López. 2024. "Assessing Food Loss and Waste in Chile: Insights for Policy and Sustainable Development Goals" Resources 13, no. 7: 91. https://doi.org/10.3390/resources13070091

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