The National Food Agency (NFA) is working to reduce food loss and food waste in Indonesia as one of the steps to anticipate the threat of food, energy, and financial crises.
The 2021 food security and vulnerability map shows that 74 districts/cities in Indonesia are food insecure, NFA head, Arief Prasetyo Adi, noted here on Thursday.
One of the efforts that can be made to eradicate food insecurity in the regions is handling food loss and food waste, he explained.
According to data from the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), the volume of food loss and food waste in Indonesia reached 23–48 million tons per year in the period from 2000 to 2019.
The food loss and food waste during the period caused an economic loss of around Rp213 trillion to Rp551 trillion per year.
“The potential food loss and waste can be distributed to feed 61 to 125 million people, or around 29 to 47 percent of the Indonesian population,” Adi said.
The reduction of food loss and food waste must begin from the land that farmers work on and end on the dining table that consumers eat on, he added.
Food loss in agriculture occurs during the post-harvesting, storage, and delivery process, he noted.
The harvesting process must be done as efficiently as possible, perhaps by using harvesting equipment, such as harvesters, to maximize results, he said.
The storage and delivery process must also be undertaken in accordance with the storage requirements to prevent a decline in quality.
Food waste often occurs in retail markets on account of expired products being thrown away. Food waste also happens at the level of consumers, he highlighted.
To reduce food waste, NFA is collaborating with the Indonesian Retail Entrepreneurs Association (Aprindo) to direct food products that are approaching their expiration date but can still be consumed to the people who need them.
There must also be a curation system for foods approaching their expiration date to ensure the safety and edibility of these products, he emphasized.
Source: Antara News