12/12/2024
A key challenge in addressing food loss in the primary sector is understanding the most relevant factors that drive losses in the early stages of the value chain. In FOLOU’s subtask 2.2.1, a systemic literature review about food loss in the primary sector was carried out by analysing 76 academic articles and grey literature reports. As a result, 35 drivers of food loss were identified according to three macro-categories (environmental, behavioural and societal drivers).
Furthermore, in FOLOU’s subtask 2.2.2, Work Package 2 partners performed 18 semi-structured interviews with producers and experts to validate the previous results, by investigating food loss drivers in the primary sector in Italy, Greece, Spain and Belgium. Also, impacts related to food loss were explored by considering stakeholders’ opinion. The results are preliminary, as the interviews are still being performed.
Literature review of food loss drivers
By carrying out a two-step screening procedure, the review identified 405 occurrences of 35 societal, behavioural, and environmental drivers of food losses during the primary production stage. Of these, half (204) are societal drivers, 29% (118) are related to behavioural drivers, while 20% (83) are related to drivers of environmental nature.
The most frequent drivers include marketing and industry standards (SOC3), inefficient storage and processing infrastructures (SOC7), inadequate or improper handling of the product (BEH6), pest and diseases (ENV2) and unexpected climate and weather events (ENV1).
| Ranking | Code | Driver | Frequency |
| 1 | SOC3 | Marketing and industry standards | 58% |
| 2 | SOC7 | Inefficient storage and processing infrastructures | 51% |
| 3 | BEH6 | Inadequate or improper handling of the product | 46% |
| 4 | ENV2 | Pest and diseases | 37% |
| 5 | ENV1 | Unexpected climate and weather events | 33% |
Of the 10 most commonly investigated causes, the majority (8) contribute directly to food losses, while only two were identified as indirect causes. This highlights the important role that direct actions by primary producers and related stakeholders play in the occurrence of food losses.
When looking at the food commodity sector coverage, most of the reviewed articles and reports (56%) refer to the fruit and vegetable commodity sector. About 41% of studies covering the general primary production sector do not specify which foods they are referring to when talking about the causes of food loss.
Semi-structured interviews – Food loss drivers in the primary sector (ongoing)
The work of FOLOU’s subtask 2.2.2 started from the analysis of the 35 behavioural, societal and environmental drivers identified in subtask 2.2.1 as to frame standardized semi-structured interviews that have been consequently performed with practitioners from various commodity sectors within the primary production sector.
According to the interviewees, environmental drivers are the most important drivers. Extreme events related to climate change, such as storms, droughts, floods and heatwaves are severely impacting primary production across all the commodity sectors explored. For example, high atmospheric temperatures during summertime cause heat stress in dairy cows, affecting the quality of the milk and increasing the loss of products, while water storms cause the detachment of shellfish for their support, so that they cannot be collected anymore. In addition, changed climatic conditions favour the diffusion of pests and diseases which damage plants, vegetables, fruits, as well as impact on animal welfare. Downy mildew and grey mould in fruit and vegetables, mycotoxins in cereals, hydrogen cyanide in wax, anisakis in sardines and anchovies, mastitis in dairy cows are only some of the factors of food losses.
Societal drivers are the second category of factors that have a concrete impact on food losses. Industrial and marketing standards are playing a key role in fostering the discard of nutritious products that do not access to the market because of aesthetic, dimensional and quality standards. This driver is directly connected with the environmental ones, as a wide array of perishable products, such as fruit and vegetables, are spoiled by severe weather conditions as well as by pests and diseases, so that they do not meet the demanding standards required by the retailers. Next to that, inefficient storage and processing infrastructure are an issue, especially related to the lack of investment capacity of small enterprises to adopt adequate equipment related to storage and processing. Also, low market price of food commodities forces producers to unharvest or destroy the products, as the production costs are higher than the market price. Moreover, low prices encourage producers to delay harvesting in anticipation of a rise in market prices, exposing them to climate risk. For example, shellfish farmers in Romagna, Italy, can postpone shellfish collection too long to wait for the right price, increasing the risk of losing the entire year’s production in the event of summer heat waves.
Behavioural drivers are estimated to play a minor role in food losses. Nevertheless, producers lack understanding of market fluctuations and price mechanisms, which perpetuates food losses, as farmers may be influenced to grow certain crop varieties based on the high market value at the time, without considering the possibility of a future price drop. Milk producers are also unable to track consumption fluctuations associated with certain periods or festivities (such as Christmas or Easter in Greece), resulting in the loss of a consistent portion of production. Improper manipulation of the product is another major cause of food loss, partly related to environmental factors: farmers report being forced to apply additional manipulation to eliminate additional pests on fruits, vegetables, legumes and grains, which ultimately spoil the product. A behavioural driver is thus driven by other factors, such as environmental factors (pests and diseases promoted by climate change) and societal factors (trade standards and consumer preferences).
| Ranking | Code | Driver |
| 1 | ENV1 | Unexpected climate and weather events |
| 2 | ENV2 | Pests, diseases and phytosanitary issues |
| 3 | SOC03 | Marketing and industry standards (weight, aesthetic standards, size, shape, quality) |
| 4 | SOC07 | Inefficient storage and processing infrastructure |
| 5 | BEH06 | Inadequate or improper handling of the product |
Semi-structured interviews – Impacts of food loss in the primary sector
Additionally, the interviews explored on a qualitative perspective the impacts of food loss both on a micro- and macro-scale. Mostly, experts and producers identified economic impacts as the most significant ones, with income reduction as the major factor. Another significant impact is the influence of food loss on regional and national economies, as some local productions, especially those specializing in high-quality and premium products, have strategic influence on a national scale. Food losses have additional impacts on the economy, contributing to the decline of local employment andthe reduction of job opportunities. Also, food losses in primary production reduce the access to nutritious food for local communities, such as fruits, vegetables, seafood and fish.
| Ranking | Impact | Typology |
| 1 | Diminishing income | micro |
| 2 | Large scale economic impacts (e.g. local, regional or national-level economic losses) | MACRO |
| 3 | Reduce access to nutritious food | micro |
| 4 | Decline in local employment | micro |
| 5 | Decline of job opportunities | MACRO |
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation program, under Grant Agreement: 101084106. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
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