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Draft CWA on food loss quantification open for public consultation

20/04/2026

The European Committee for Standardisation (CEN/CENELEC) has launched the draft CWA “Methodology to Quantify Food Loss at Primary Production” for public consultation. This CEN Workshop Agreement translates the methodology developed within the FOLOU project to quantify food losses into a standardised, ready-to-use document hold on a voluntary basis. It synthesises the core elements of the Food Loss Definitional Framework and Quantification Manual into a structured approach adaptable to different activities and purposes.

The main objective of this CWA is to support food loss quantification activities across Europe and beyond, contributing to improved decision-making throughout the food system, including among producers, food supply chain enterprises, public authorities, and the research community.

As a key outcome of the FOLOU project, the CWA pursues to:

• Establish a harmonised methodology for quantifying food losses at the primary production stage (including agriculture, livestock, and aquaculture);
• Provide a practical framework supporting data collection, classification, and extrapolation from plot, farm, or site level to wider territorial scales; and
• Support EU action to prevent food loss through a pragmatic, flexible, and scalable approach.

It is intended for all stakeholders interested in quantifying food losses at the primary production stage, offering a balanced approach between cost-efficiency and the reliability of measurements.

The standardised document focuses on five food commodity groups: fruits and vegetables; cereals and pulses; roots and tubers; meat and dairy products; and aquaculture products. The basic contents are structured around (i) the food loss definitional framework, (ii) the measurement planning, (iii) the measurement process, and (iv) the data extrapolation from farm or site level to wider territory scales. Core requirements and additional recommendations are integrated throughout the document to create a flexible yet standardised approach that enables the aggregation and comparison of results, while practical case studies and supplementary information are provided in the annexes.

The process started early in 2025, with the development of the CWA draft document and the promotion of the initiative to encourage broad participation of relevant experts and representative stakeholders. The kick-off meeting of the CEN Workshop took place online on 12 December 2025, with the participation of 26 experts and representatives from research centres, producer organisations, and regional, national, and international institutions. The submitted comments and proposed amendments to the initial document from participants were discussed in a second session held on 11 February 2026. The majority of the contributions were accepted, resulting in this clearer and improved document which is currently open for public consultation.

The public consultation phase aims to reach a wider audience and gather feedback to ensure the development of a robust, representative, and consistent CWA. Ultimately, this will support more harmonised, comparable, and comprehensive measurement of food loss across sectors and countries.

The FOLOU project thanks all contributors for their valuable input, which has helped shape the current draft, and welcomes further comments to strengthen the final standard. The public consultation will remain open for 30 days, until 15 May. Comments on the draft CWA can be submitted to the Workshop Secretary, Rosa Cepas Aguayo (rcepas@une.org), using the relevant commenting form.