Over one-third of the world’s food is lost or wasted, undermining efforts to end hunger and malnutrition while contributing 8 to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. In low- and middle-income countries, over 40 percent of food loss occurs before a crop even makes it to market, whether due to inadequate storage, pests or microbes, spoilage, spillage in transport or otherwise. Eliminating food loss and waste (FLW) would provide enough food to feed two billion people, as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Addressing FLW is critical to global food security, nutrition and climate change mitigation. Youth play an important role in these efforts. 

In order to raise awareness, exchange information and share success stories, USAID’s Food Loss and Waste Community of Practice created the USAID Kitchen Sink Food Loss and Waste Podcast. Our goal is to share monthly, bite-sized episodes that highlight the approaches USAID and the U.S. Government are taking to address FLW. We hope these episodes provide a valuable resource for those interested in why we should care about FLW and how we can reduce it. 

Our latest episode is with Thoric Cederstrom, Director of Research and Learning for Food Enterprise Solutions, which implements the Feed the Future Business Drivers for Food Safety (BD4FS) Project. BD4FS works with food businesses to adopt safer food handling practices to increase access to affordable, safe, and nutritious food. Thoric and Lourdes Martinez Romero, Senior Advisor in the USAID Center for Nutrition’s Food Safety Division, discuss the role of the private sector in reducing FLW and how improving food safety practices are a key part of this. 

You can subscribe to receive the latest episodes of USAID’s Kitchen Sink and listen to our original four episodes on the platform of your choice: Apple, Spotify, and more! Video recordings of the episodes are available on YouTube. Check in every month for new episodes as global experts discuss a range of issues about FLW and methane emissions — from the critical role of youth to the staggering economic costs — and learn about specific ways that USAID is tackling FLW around the world. 

If you have an idea for an episode topic you’d like to see featured or if you would like to participate in an episode of USAID’s Kitchen Sink, please reach out to Nika Larian ([email protected]).

There’s no time to waste!