15/09/2023 Bangkok
Championing the discount of meals loss and waste was the primary name to motion on the Mannequin United Nations (MUN) Convention hosted on the FAO Regional Workplace for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok. Organized by the Meiji College of Japan along with Kasetsart College, the Srinakarinwirot College, and the Panyapiwat Institute of Administration, the MUN Convention, held earlier this month, introduced collectively college students from Japan and Thailand for an interactive dialogue on “Bettering meals safety in Asia and the Pacific – by means of discount of meals loss and waste (FLW).”
Whereas starvation and meals safety proceed with 725 million individuals dealing with starvation, an estimated 13.3 % of the world’s meals is misplaced within the provide chain from post-harvest previous to retail based on the FAO Food Loss Index. An extra 17 % of meals is wasted in households, meals providers and in retail (Supply: UNEP).
“We have now noticed that in Jap Asia and Southern Asia, meals losses are above the worldwide common as a consequence of very excessive FLW charges within the vegatables and fruits worth chains,” mentioned FAO Agriculture Officer Eva Gálvez Nogales delivering the keynote handle. “There was a spike in meals losses in 2020. Are you able to guess why that was the case?” To which college students unanimously responded that the rationale was the COVID-19 pandemic that induced main disruptions in provide chains.
“FLW is a rising concern for the Asia–Pacific area, impacting each rural and concrete communities, and meals safety. Because of this it’s on the high of the coverage agenda,” reiterated Eva who shared examples of how FAO helps Member Nations to lift consciousness, measure FLW, cut back post-harvest losses, and strengthen coverage and regulatory frameworks.
The scholars who had been cut up into eight nation groups – India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore and Timor-Leste – acted as representatives of a rustic, discussing points associated to FLW and sharing potential revolutionary options.
From the breeding of black solider fly for the remedy and administration of meals waste in Malaysia, to the usage of cooler packing containers, ice-making applied sciences and the Irabu Technique of soaking fish in ice onboard fishing vessels to scale back post-harvest losses within the Maldives, and improved chilly chain administration in India like managed ambiance storage to take care of the standard and enhance the shelf lifetime of agrifood merchandise.
“The MUN Convention is a good platform to speak in regards to the difficulty of meals loss and waste and to focus on potential options,” mentioned Iain McTaggart, Affiliate Professor, Meiji College, Japan. “It is usually a beautiful alternative for college students to satisfy fellow youth from totally different institutes, totally different nations and talk about subjects associated to the agrifood atmosphere, science and coverage.”
FAO’s Regional Workplace for Asia and the Pacific has hosted a number of MUN Conferences up to now to interact younger individuals in agrifood programs transformation, with this yr’s convention happening after a lapse of 4 years.
College students had been urged to proceed advocating for the combat in opposition to FLW and the adoption of options highlighted by means of numerous platforms akin to FAO’s Group of Follow on Food Loss Discount, the Food is By no means Waste Coalition and the #123 Food Loss and Waste Pledge for Local weather Motion. Additionally by becoming a member of the world in marking the Worldwide Day of Consciousness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW) on 29 September to cease meals loss and waste – for the individuals and the planet.
