Food Loss and Waste Standard Published

Food waste is continuing to become a bigger issue.  A group of 'leading' international organizations have written a standard for measuring food loss and waste.  As major retailers push for food loss and waste reductions, these standards can be used to measure that.

In the IFT release:

"In 2015, The Consumer Goods Forum, which represents more than 400 of the world’s largest retailers and manufacturers from 70 countries, adopted a resolution for its members to reduce food waste from their operations by 50% by 2025, with baselines and progress to be measured using the FLW Standard."

IFT Weekly
http://www.ift.org/food-technology/newsletters/ift-weekly-newsletter/2016/june/060816.aspx
June 8, 2016
Organizations partner to introduce food loss, waste global standard
A partnership of leading international organizations has launched the Food Loss and Waste (FLW) Accounting and Reporting Standard at the Global Green Growth Forum (3GF) 2016 Summit in Copenhagen. The FLW Standard is the first-ever set of global definitions and reporting requirements for companies, countries, and others to consistently and credibly measure, report on, and manage food loss and waste. The standard comes as a growing number of governments, companies, and other entities are making commitments to reduce food loss and waste.
“This standard is a real breakthrough,” said Andrew Steer, president and CEO, World Resources Institute. “For the first time, armed with the standard, countries and companies will be able to quantify how much food is lost and wasted, where it occurs, and report on it in a highly credible and consistent manner.”
The Food Loss and Waste Protocol is a multi-stakeholder partnership convened by World Resources Institute and initiated at the 3GF 2013 Summit. FLW Protocol partners include: The Consumer Goods Forum, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), EU-funded FUSIONS project, United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), WRAP (The Waste and Resources Action Program), and World Resources Institute.
International momentum to curb food loss and waste is growing with governments and businesses making commitments to address this issue. However, most do not know how much food is lost or wasted or where it occurs within their borders, operations, or supply chains. Moreover, the definition of food loss and waste varies widely and without a consistent accounting and reporting framework it has been difficult to compare data and develop effective strategies.
Creating inventories in conformance with the FLW Standard is a critical foundation to develop effective strategies for reducing food loss and waste and monitor progress over time. Moreover, it can help governments and companies meet international commitments, including the Paris Agreement on climate change and UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In particular, SDG Target 12.3 calls for a 50% global reduction in food waste by 2030, along with reductions in food loss.
The FLW Standard will also help reduce food loss and waste within the private sector. In 2015, The Consumer Goods Forum, which represents more than 400 of the world’s largest retailers and manufacturers from 70 countries, adopted a resolution for its members to reduce food waste from their operations by 50% by 2025, with baselines and progress to be measured using the FLW Standard. Some leading companies, like Nestlé and Tesco, are already measuring and publicly reporting on their food loss and waste.
FLW Standard

Food Loss and Waste Website
http://flwprotocol.org/flw-standard/
Using The FLW Standard

The Food Loss and Waste Accounting and Reporting Stan­dard (or FLW Standard) is a global standard that provides requirements and guidance for quantifying and report­ing on the weight of food and/or associated inedible parts removed from the food supply chain—commonly referred to as “food loss and waste” (FLW).

The purpose of the FLW Standard is to encourage consistency and transparency in quantifying and reporting on the amount of food and/or associated inedible parts removed from the food supply chain—commonly referred to as “food loss and waste.”
FLW Standard Executive Summary (PDF)
FLW Full Standard (PDF)

Widespread use of the FLW Standard will motivate and empower countries, companies, and other entities to minimize FLW, thereby realizing economic benefits, enhancing food security, improving natural resource use efficiency, and reducing environmental impacts. This standard enables the consistent measurement of baselines and tracking of progress towards Target 12.3 of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals as well as other targets.

The global standard is designed to be practical so that entities of all kinds can develop an FLW inventory based on their particular quantification goals. Using the clear terminology and requirements provided by the standard ensures international consistency, enables comprehensiveness, facilitates comparability, and supports transparent disclosure of FLW inventories both within and among entities. Quantifying FLW is an important foundation for reduction efforts that can deliver a diverse array of benefits—from reducing costs associated with over-purchase and disposal, to avoiding greenhouse gas emissions, or supporting efforts to eliminate hunger. Entities that prepare inventories in conformance with the FLW Standard will be better informed about how much FLW is generated and where it ends up and therefore better equipped to take action.