Europe Wastes 50% of Fruits, Vegetables

GHENT, BelgiumA new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reveals nearly 50% of all fruits and vegetables in the European Union go to waste, with losses occurring during agricultural production, processing, distribution, in the supermarkets and by the consumers.

According to the report, 20% of the fresh produce is lost due to accidental damage during threshing or fruit picking, damage by insects, mechanical damage and/or spillage during harvest operation and crops sorted out post-harvest following quality requirements by supermarkets and other companies. The lack of tuning between supply and demand is another reason for losses.

During postharvest handling and processing 5.5% of the fresh produce gets lost, by for example bad storage conditions, juice production, or during process interruptions and accidental spillage. In the distribution chain and supermarkets another 7.5% is being lost due to degradation and expiring best-before-dates." Finally, 13% of what is initially produced gets lost due to consumers behavior by throwing away still edible fruits and vegetables, or by wasting due to storing the fresh produce too long or at a wrong temperature.

Not all losses are irreversible because a lot of effort has increasingly been put in the valorization of these products. In fermentation installations unsellable fresh produce can be transformed into energy. Slightly damaged fresh produce also can be recuperated to make derived products, such as jams, soups and more.

Researchers at Ghent University and Wageningen University currently are conducting a study as part of the European Research Project Veg-i-Trade" to reduce losses within the fruits and vegetables chain by developing statistical models to predict the degradation and the safety of fresh produce. These models can be used to improve the planning and logistics of food processors, transporters and supermarkets. By adapting the size of the produced batches of food, the amount of stock and the storage conditions for example; less food will be lost.