National Program to Reduce Food Loss and Waste [AFFILIATED]

The legal framework within the National Programme is in the National Resolution N°392/2015. According to the regional action plan for food losses and waste reduction in Latin America and the Caribbean proposed by FAO, there are three working areas: a) Governance and strategic alliance (including legislation), b) Research, technology and knowledge: b.1 Food losses and waste diagnosis and key actors; b.2 Identification of partnership opportunities along the supply chains to develop solutions. c) Communication and information: a campaign called "Valoremos Los Alimentos" (“Food Value Boosting”) was carried out, and is exhibited in congresses, festivals and other food sector and consumer events. It also received important media coverage. Objectives : a) To promote research and coordinate initiatives, activities and projects involving actors of the production, processing, distribution and consumption. b) Facilitate the transference of technologies according to the National Programme objectives, in the different links of the food systems. c) Elaborate guides of best practices and recommendations towards the prevention of FLW. d) Get diagnosis on the gaps and needs in the current facilities for storage and transportation of foods to minimize the losses in the postharvest and distribution steps. e) Conduct campaigns to raise awareness on the magnitude and implications of FLW, plan recovery actions, and promote the responsable consumption of food towards the reduction, recycling and reutilization of food. f) Generate knowledge and capabilities within the food systems operators to promote the handling of food according to the GMP, and to reduce or prevent FLW because of the lack of observance of minimal standards. g) Strengthen the ties with food Banks and other national and international agencies or institutions. h) Promote collaborative actions with the media, academia, non-profit organizations, key actors engaged with the objectives of the Programme. Governance and strategic alliance (including legislation): - Commitment Letter. In order to involve the food sector value chain, the Ministry of Agro Industry is calling partners to subscribe a Commitment Letter, joining the National Programme to Reduce Food Loss and Waste. Currently there are around 60 Commitment Letters submitted from public and private sector, NGO´s, scientific community. - Draft amendment of the National Law 25.989 about food donation. The Ministry of Agro Industry and the Argentine Food Banking Network are working together to upgrade the National Law 25.989 about food donation (Good Samaritan Food Donation). - “National Day to Reduce Food Losses and Waste”. The Ministry of Agro Industry has presented a Project of Law to establish September 29th as the “National Day to Reduce Food Losses and Waste”. Research, technology and knowledge: - First estimation of national food losses and waste. The Ministry of Agro Industry has carried out a first estimation of national food losses and waste from 2014 to 2015, using the methodology designed by the Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology (SIK) on request from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 2011. - Technical Cooperation Project from FAO about food waste. The Ministry of Agro Industry with the Universitá di Bologna in Argentina design a special methodology to estimate food waste in distribution, market, retail and consumption. The Buenos Aires City Government is carrying out the estimation for the city. - Comprehensive Guide for local government "What can Argentine cities do to reduce loss and food waste?" It was developed with the World Bank Group. - Workshop on Agro-Food Chain Evaluation Methodology. The Ministry of Agro Industry with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations provided training for 30 people on Agro-Food Chain Evaluation Methodology "a first step to reduce food losses". - Training: The Ministry has organized many trainings to spread the challenge of reducing food losses and waste and to build a sustainable food system. Communication and information: - Ministry of Agro Industry has devised a campaign called "Valoremos Los Alimentos" (“Food Value Boosting”). This campaign is exhibited in congresses, festivals and other food sector and consumer events. There are many materials developed for the food sector and for consumers. On april 26, the Ministry of Agro Industry lauched the Guide for Local Goverments “What can argentine cities can do to reduce and food loss &waste”. The purpose and the activities of the National Programme to Reduce Food Loss and Waste are actually aligned to promote sustainability along the food value chain, from farm to fork. The National Programme activities go through all the working areas: raising awareness on the need to adopt SCP patterns in food systems, building enabling environments for sustainable food systems, increasing the access to and fostering the application of actionable knowledge, information and tools to mainstream SCP in food systems, and strengthening collaboration among food system stakeholders to increase the sector’s SCP performance. Reducing food losses and food waste is the target 12.3 of the 12th Goal: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns of the Sustainable Development Goals. These are key strategies to achieve food security, protect the environment and natural resources, and especially to manage efficient food production. Sustainable consumption and production aims at “doing more and better with less”, so it requires a systemic approach and cooperation among actors operating in the supply chain, from the producer to the final consumer. In this context, the Ministry of Agro Industry has the leadership to involve public and private stakeholders. The National Programme currently has agreements with more than 50 stakeholders, who are launching activities. In order to involve the food sector value chain, the Ministry of Agro Industry is calling partners to subscribe a Commitment Letter, joining the National Program to Reduce Food Loss and Waste. Currently there are around 60 Commitment Letters, submitted from public and private sector, NGO´s, scientific and technological community.