The 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit: How to Incentivize Food Loss and Waste Reduction?

Summary: SPECIAL EVENT The 2021 United Nations Food Systems Summit: How to Incentivize Food Loss and Waste Reduction? Co-Organized by the International Food Policy Research Institute, Embassy of Denmark in Washington D.C., World Resources Institute, and Champions 12.3 MAR 12, 2021 - 09:30 AM TO 11:00 AM EST The ongoing COVID-19 health crisis continues to expose vulnerabilities in food systems, highlighting the insecurity of rural livelihoods, the tragedy of food loss and waste, and the stark inequities in access to healthy food. The upcoming, first-ever UN Food Systems Summit (UNFSS), presents a unique opportunity to bring together stakeholders from across the food value chain to address these challenges and unlock barriers to sustainable food systems transformation. Absurd quantities of food are lost and wasted every year in a world where 700 million people go hungry each day and where planetary boundaries are being exceeded by unsustainable food production. Drastic reduction of food loss and waste is therefore imperative and will be an essential part of the UNFSS agenda. This policy seminar will serve as a platform to discuss actionably, “game-changing” solutions to reduce food loss and waste on a global scale (SDG 12.3) and provide inputs to the UNFSS agenda. Built around the Champions 12.3 Initiative and the Technical Platform for the Measurement and Reduction of Food Loss and Waste, the seminar will be held, fittingly, on March 12 (12.3). Welcome: Troels Vensild, Minister Counsellor of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Embassy of Denmark, USA Opening Remarks: Johan Swinnen, Director General, IFPRI Keynote Speakers: Agnes Kalibata, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy to the 2021 Food Systems Summit Rasmus Prehn, Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Denmark Rapid Fire Presentations: Nnaemeka Ikegwuonu, CEO, Coldhubs Nigeria Richard Swannell, Director, WRAP Global Maximo Torero, Chief Economist, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Jessica Vieira, Director of Sustainability, Apeel Sciences Closing Remarks: Craig Hanson, Vice President For Food, Forest, Water & The Ocean, World Resources Institute Moderator: Rob Vos, Director, Markets, Trade and Institutions, IFPRI Related Publications: Reducing Food Loss And Waste: Five Challenges For Policy And Research: https://www.ifpri.org/publication/reducing-food-loss-and-waste-five-challenges-policy-and-research Reducing Food Loss Is Key To End Hunger And Undernutrition By 2025: https://www.ifpri.org/blog/reducing-food-loss-key-end-hunger-and-undernutrition-2025 Three Steps For Tackling Food Loss And Waste:https://www.ifpri.org/blog/three-steps-tackling-food-loss-and-waste Measuring And Reducing Food Loss In Developing Countries: https://www.ifpri.org/blog/measuring-and-reducing-food-loss-developing-countries Links: The 2021 Food Systems Summit: https://www.un.org/en/food-systems-summit Embassy Of Denmark, USA: https://usa.um.dk/ World Resources Institute: https://www.wri.org/ Champions 12.3: https://champions123.org/ More on the seminar: https://www.ifpri.org/event/2021-united-nations-food-systems-summit-how-incentivize-food-loss-and-waste-reduction Subscribe IFPRI Insights newsletter and event announcements at www.ifpri.org/content/newsletter-subscription