Meeting Title: Expert Group Meeting on measuring Food Waste

Location: Paris, France

Date: 18^th October 2019

Partners: International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), UN-Habitat

SDG Indicators: 12.3.1.b, 11.6.1, 12.5.1

Type: Food Waste Index

Brief Description

It is estimated that around one-third of all food produced globally is lost or wasted (FAO 2011). Reducing food waste has the potential to increase food security, decrease greenhouse gas emissions and alleviate stress on waste management systems. The importance of food waste was recognized in the context of the SDG’s through target 12.3 on halving food waste and loss. However, accurate information on food waste or robust methodologies for measuring food waste are lacking.

UNEP is the custodian for SDG 12.3.1.b on food waste. As the custodian, UNEP is working to develop a methodology on SDG 12.3.1.b that will provide guidance on how to measure food waste in a way that is consistent with the other waste related indicators under the SDGs particularly, 11.6.1 on municipal solid waste (UN-Habitat is the custodian) and 12.5.1 on recycling (UNEP and UNSD are the custodians).

For the development of the methodology on SDG 12.3.1.b on Food Waste UNEP partnered with ISWA to hold an expert group on measuring Food Waste in Paris, France on 18th September 2019. The objective of the meeting was to bring together an international group of experts on Food Waste, environment statistics, and SDG indicators to review the progress achieved in the development of the methodology for the SDG indicators 12.3.1b. Comments and feedback on the final methodologies were collected from the experts, who also discussed a number of technical challenges faced in Municipal Solid Waste and recycling statistics.

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