This practical guide provides a step-by-step plan for how companies and governments can begin the process of measuring food loss and waste. It addresses key topics such as:
– Why to measure food loss and waste (FLW)
– How to establish a business case for food loss and waste measurement
– Addressing common barriers and obstacles
– Tracking causes of food loss and waste
– Converting measurements to other financial, environmental and social impacts
– How to select a measurement method
This guide was developed as part of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) Operational Plan 2017-2018 and its Measuring and Mitigating Food Loss and Waste project. The goal of the project is to improve measurement of food loss and waste (FLW) across the North American supply chain and to calculate its environmental and socioeconomic impacts. Outputs of this project include this practical guide and a technical report entitled Quantifying Food Loss and Waste and Its Impacts (CEC 2019). Together, these publications offer practical tools, information and activities designed to help facilities, organizations and governments prevent, recover and recycle FLW.
