Table 1.

Food waste within food supply chains: Quantification and potential for change to 2050

S Nr	Stage	Food waste/loss characteristics
1	Harvesting—handling at harvest	Edible crops left in field, ploughed into soil, eaten by birds, rodents, timing of harvest not optimal: loss in food quality Crop damaged during harvesting/poor harvesting technique
2	Threshing	Loss through poor technique Out-grades at farm to improve quality of produce
3	Drying—transport and distribution	Poor transport infrastructure, loss owing to spoiling/bruising
4	Storage	Pests, disease, spillage, contamination, natural drying out of food
5	Primary processing—cleaning classification, de-hulling, pounding, grinding, packaging, soaking, winnowing, drying, sieving, milling	Process losses Contamination in process causing loss of quality
6	Secondary processing—mixing, cooking, frying moulding, cutting, extrusion
7	Product evaluation—quality control: standard recipes	Product discarded/out-grades in supply chain
	Packaging-weighing, labeling, sealing	Inappropriate packaging damages produce Grain spillage from sacks Attack by rodents
9	Marketing-publicity, selling, distribution	Damage during transport: spoilage Poor handling in wet market
10	Post-consumer—recipes elaboration: traditional dishes, new dishes product evaluation, consumer education, discards	Losses caused by lack of cooling/cold storage Plate scrapings Poor storage/stock management in homes: discarded before serving Poor food preparation technique: edible food discarded with inedible Food discarded in packaging: confusion over ‘‗best before and ‗use by’ dates
11	End of life—disposal of food waste/loss at different stages of supply chain	Food waste discarded may be separately treated, fed to livestock/poultry, mixed with other wastes and land filled

Source: Parfitt et al. (2010)