At
APEC 2024, Peru promotes efforts to implement actions in order to reduce and prevent food losses and waste in the Asia-Pacific region, said
Victor Hugo Parra, Deputy Minister of Agrarian Development Policy and Supervision of Peru.
"Our aim is to establish a guiding framework that can support APEC economies to design and implement effective policies to reduce and prevent food losses and waste, strengthening their food systems," said the government official in an article written on the APEC website.
Parra, who chairs the APEC group to examine issues related to the
Policy Partnership on Food Security (PPFS), stated that at the recent PPFS meeting in Lima, representatives from
APEC member economies reaffirmed their willingness to move towards improvements in nutrition, taking into consideration all its aspects.
Citing data from the UN, he reported that around 13% of food produced worldwide is lost between harvest and retail. In total, 1.3 billion tons of food gets lost —food that could feed 1.26 billion people.
Concrete measures
In this regard, Parra highlighted that APEC representatives reaffirmed their commitment to implementing measures and tools that will help achieve sustainable food systems, as well as improve nutrition and food security for the population—especially those who are most vulnerable.
Likewise, he added, those measures are intended to help agrarian producers improve their conditions, "taking into consideration the social and economic context that we are going through at a global level."
"The task of the PPFS under Peru’s leadership will be focused on undertaking the implementation of collective actions among economies that promote the reduction and prevention of food waste and losses in the Asia-Pacific region," the deputy minister remarked.
In this sense, Parra underscored that attention will be given to the development of principles to achieve that objective.
These principles will incorporate key elements, including the use of technology and innovative approaches; gathering disaggregated data; domestic supply chain management strategies; public-private partnership; governance and institutionality; and education, awareness and capacity building.
"The reduction and prevention of food waste require a holistic approach that involves individuals, businesses, governments and communities," he said. "It is a social and environmental necessity, and an economic opportunity."
To this end, the aim is to strengthen the participation, in this matter, of the private sector in APEC economies, through greater involvement of the APEC Business Advisory Council.
(END) FGM/RMB
Published: 3/14/2024