Sustainable Development Goal 12: Sustainable consumption and production patterns

The United Nations defines Sustainable Development Goal 12 (Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns) as doing more and better with less. Food loss and waste contribute to environmental pollution and the degradation and depletion of natural resources. Food loss reduces the amount of food available for consumption. The recommendations to meet SDG12 include decoupling economic growth from environmental degradation, increasing resource efficiency and promoting sustainable consumption. Food loss is food that suffers a reduction in quality (such as spoiling, spilling or bruising) before it reaches the consumer, during the production, storage, and processing stages of the food supply chain. In addition, food loss results from limitations in agriculture (and trade agreements), storage, infrastructure, packaging, and marketing. In general, food loss and waste (FLW) only considers agricultural products intended for human consumption. This excludes any products used for animal feed or non-food uses, such as biofuels. Unconsumed food also uses large amounts of land and water resources and contributes unnecessary pesticides and chemical fertilisers to the environment. Diverse solutions to FLW exist in the following categories: food banks and food surplus supermarkets, technology, behaviour change and market reform.