Mexico works to avoid tons of food waste each year

According to the Vallarta Daily, in Mexico, 34% of the food that is produced is lost or wasted, that is, approximately 20.4 million tons each year, which results in great environmental, economic and social impacts, according to the study “Food Losses and Waste in Mexico”, prepared by the World Bank.

Taking into account this situation and following up on the actions carried out by the Single Working Group (GTU), the Second Meeting of the interdisciplinary group was held, where the World Bank presented the report that it prepares on the strategic guidelines to address the problem.

According to the preliminary version, actions to address the loss and waste of food should focus on three key areas that are the prevention of waste, the recovery of foods that can be used and the revaluation of organic waste along the entire production chain.

This requires the active participation of the three orders of governments, the private sector, and society in general, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) said in a statement.

As SEMARNAT is responsible for the promotion of sustainability, including what refers to food production systems, this unit has coordinated the tasks at an intersectoral level and has managed to consolidate the work and commitment of each sector that affects the processes of the food production and consumption chain.

He explained that the guidelines will be reviewed and endorsed by the members of the GTU, which is made up of representatives of the Presidency of the Republic and various agencies of the federal government, including Semarnat and the Secretariats of Tourism and Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fishing, and Food.

As well as by the National Commission of Aquaculture and Fisheries, the National Service of Health, Food Safety and Agri-Food Quality, the Agency of Services for the Marketing and Development of Agricultural Markets, Diconsa and the Agri-Food and Fisheries Information Service.

FAO, civil society organizations such as the Association of Food Banks of Mexico and The Hunger Project; the National Institute of Statistics and Geography, the National Polytechnic and Technological Institutes of Durango; the Autonomous University of Chapingo; the National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy and representatives of the private sector.

The second meeting was led by the Undersecretary of Environmental Promotion and Regulation, Jorge Carlos Hurtado Valdez, who stressed the importance of having the knowledge of experts to address this serious problem that has social, environmental and economic consequences.

This effort is in addition to the work carried out by the country to combat nutritional deficiencies, boost the sustainability of food systems and to meet the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, especially its Sustainable Development Goal 12 on guaranteeing sustainable consumption and production patterns.

As well as goal 12.3, which establishes that by 2030, the per capita food waste in the retail and consumer sectors should be halved and food losses reduced in the production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses.

Source: Vallarta Daily