2018 ASHS Annual Conference

Estimates of food loss and waste in developed countries including the U.S. suggest the most impact to the triple bottom line of society, environment, and economy occurs at the consumer level. Hence, research and other initiatives have emphasized consumer campaigns, aiming to reach national and global targets. Food loss at the origin of the supply chain, however, is considered low volume or low value, not garnering much attention, even as approximations that inform these estimates are decades old and not rooted in field measurement. Several projects centered on the farm level aimed to understand whether the available estimates are accurate emphasized field sampling focused on modern vegetable production systems over grower estimates collected through interviews. The method used is similar to determining harvest potential at the start of the season, but has been applied after the growers’ primary harvest. Considering edible vegetable crops alongside what is considered acceptable in the marketplace, an evaluation of eight crops in seventy North Carolina fields determined the average loss is equivalent to 36% of the marketed yield, much higher than the 10% used in global calculations. Qualitative inquiry with vegetable growers confirmed no measurement of losses is routine, and the confidence they have in estimates they have provided is low. Solutions that aim to reduce losses in the field have been explored, with mixed success. Results from these studies using field measurement indicated there is a need for reevaluation of the estimates used to report farm level losses in the U.S. supply chain.