The global food waste problem is about to get a whole lot more attention. At the recent Global Green Growth Forum 2016 summit in Copenhagen, the world’s first Food Loss and Waste protocol was launched on June 6th. Created by a team of partner organizations, the protocol has created a universal standard that “provides requirements and guidance for quantifying and reporting on the weight of food and/or associated inedible parts removed from the food supply chain”. The FLW protocol aims to encourage corporations, countries and organizations to reduce food waste by providing them with a “starter kit” full of information and skills, all concerning issues surrounding food waste issues.

A global standard could prove vital to nations wishing to adopt new food waste reduction strategies. Though an increasing number of nations are implementing policies to reduce food waste such as Italy and France, the classification and measurement of waste remains ambiguous among different nations.

Given the recent spotlight on food waste in the international stage, it will be interesting to see how the standards will be received. The 160-page document contains detailed strategies on everything from food waste data collection to tips on how to identify key causes of waste. Its validity and depth appears encouraging; now, we must wait to see how global actors will respond.

You can read more about the FLW Protocol, including the full document here.