Alexia Villaseñor
La Jornada newspaper
Friday, October 3, 2025, p. 18
In Latin America and the Caribbean, 13 percent of the food are lost every year, equivalent to 931 million tons, from the supply chain to the shelves of commercial establishments. In Mexico, 40 percent of food production (30 million tons) is wasted, said the Latin American Alliance of Associations of the Food and Beverage Industry (Alaiab).
At the same time, figures from Status of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024 From the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) showed that 41 million people suffered hunger in the region and 187.6 million (28.2 percent of the population) suffered moderate or severe food insecurity.
During the virtual conference innovate so as not to waste: technology and processes that transform food use, the Alaiab pointed out as fundamental the participation of the private sector to seek production of circular economy throughout the production chain and incorporate new methods based on innovation and collaboration between governments, industry, academia and citizenship.
Attending the waste challenge responds to one of the sustainable development objectives of the United Nations Organization. Experts emphasized that it is not only an economic issue, but has a direct impact on food security, social welfare and the environment.
Nicol Barahona, FAO specialist, explained that to face this challenge, strategic alliances should be sought, “because the issue of food losses is not solved only with an actor. We need complex and multi -acting solutions, between governments, private, academy and civil society, especially consumers”, since 19 percent of the waste of food that occurs at the global scale occurs food services or households.
At the conference they specified that among the technological solutions that allow optimizing resources, improving efficiency and transforming what was previously residue in value are digital boards and traceability systems, which detect real -time losses, as well as intelligent packaging and conservation technologies, to extend the useful life of products. Also, the valorization of by -products to transform waste into inputs, in addition to collaborative platforms and digital and food education campaigns in order to promote conscious purchase and consumption habits.
