Five system boundaries were distinguished in the food supply chains (FSC) of vegetable and animal commodities. Food loss/ waste were estimated for each of these segments of the FSC. The following aspects were considered:
Vegetable commodities and products:
Agricultural production: losses due to mechanical damage and/or spillage during harvest operation (e.g. threshing or fruit picking), crops sorted out post harvest, etc.
Postharvest handling and storage: including losses due to spillage and degradation during handling, storage and transportation between farm and distribution.
Processing: including losses due to spillage and degradation during industrial or domestic processing, e.g. juice production, canning and bread baking. Losses may occur when crops are sorted out if not suitable to process or during washing, peeling, slicing and boiling or during process interruptions and accidental spillage.
Distribution: including losses and waste in the market system, at e.g. wholesale markets, supermarkets, retailers and wet markets.
Consumption: including losses and waste during consumption at the household level.
Animal commodities and products:
Agricultural production: for bovine and poultry meat, losses refer to animal death during breeding. For fish, losses refer to discards during fishing. For milk, losses refer to decreased milk production due to dairy cow sickness (mastitis).
Chapter 2 − Methodology 3
Postharvest handling and storage: for bovine and poultry meat, losses refer to death during transport to slaughter and condemnation at slaughterhouse. For fish, losses refer to spillage and degradation during icing, packaging, storage and transportation after landing. For milk, losses refer to spillage and degradation during transportation between farm and distribution.
Processing: for bovine and poultry meat, losses refer to trimming spillage during slaughtering and additional industrial processing, e.g. sausage production. For fish, losses refer to industrial processing such as canning or smoking. For milk, losses refer to spillage during industrial milk treatment (e.g. pasteurization) and milk processing to, e.g., cheese and yoghurt.
Distribution: includes losses and waste in the market system, at e.g. wholesale markets, supermarkets, retailers and wet markets.
Consumption: includes losses and waste at the household level.
