The Post Harvest Problem

Here at PostHarvest, we’ve noticed the lack of available resources around fresh produce handling and education, so we’ve collaborated with a number of industry authorities to help map out learning pathways for numerous stages within the cold chain.

The PostHarvest team and I have been working on post-harvest loss prevention for the last 6 years and while we look to develop effective technologies & practices, one of the biggest contributors to food loss is the turnover rate of employees in the agriculture industry and the lack of training & education that often is a result.

Naturally, PostHarvest Learning was the next step for the company. So, as you might expect, we want to start with an introduction to post-harvest losses. What are post-harvest losses? Why do we have to worry about them and what are we going to do to combat this problem?

In these courses, we will cover fresh produce topics that range from Growers & Suppliers through to Consumers, all with the goal in mind of reducing Food Loss & Food Waste numbers throughout the supply chain.

The Post Harvest Problem

As a lot of you would already know, according to the current projections in global population growth, by 2050 if we have not found practical solutions to sustain food provisions, there simply will not be enough resources available for everyone.

In order to feed the increase in population, we have to increase our production by approximately 70%, which brings on a whole new batch of questions like; How do we arrange that? And are we limited in resources to achieve this goal?

The short answer is yes, we are limited in resources. The arable land in which we use to produce crops is very limited, in fact by 2030 food demands will require another 200 million more hectares of farmable land that we’re already stretching to reach. That’s approximately the land size of Canada and the US combined.

Beyond land issues, we have limitations on our total usable water as well. 70% of the world’s usable water is dedicated to agriculture and then the rest is used for domestic and industrial purposes.

You can start to picture a dilemma that’s pulling from both sides, as we have a projected need to feed greater numbers of people yet our resources are reaching their capacity, and it is this very dilemma that PostHarvest Learning looks to shine a light on and provide solutions to.

Unfortunately, right now when it comes to fresh produce loss across the post-harvest supply chain, the numbers are staggering. According to the Food and Agriculture organisation of the United Nations, on a global scale, over 45% of all fresh produce travelling through the cold chain system is lost on the journey. In light of this astonishing statistic, the world is currently home to over seven billion people in 2020. Within that 7 billion, there are an estimated 925 million people who are currently starving.

The tragic thing about the above statistics is that the amount of annual food loss that is accumulated globally could feed the starving population multiple times over. That’s right, the required food supplies to end world hunger are currently available, however, common cold chain technology and practices employed by the industry do not accurately record and provide actionable data for industry stakeholders, in order to maximise their outgoings.

Food Loss vs Food Waste

In 2011, the United Nations FAO published a report of their own study titled ‘Global Food Loss and Food Waste’. This study sparked the interest of the whole global community as to what the difference is between post-harvest loss and waste.

Food loss is the reduction in both the quantity and quality of food in the production and supply chain from producers to the market. Food waste, on the other hand, happens at the market and consumer level when food is not purchased, when it is thrown away before it reaches the table, or when it remains untouched in the consumer's home.

When food is lost or wasted, it does not just produce a financial impact, but also negatively affects other valuable resources such as land, water, and energy used to produce the food. As agriculture is a major polluter, one-third of pollution from this sector serves no real purpose. Food waste alone is estimated to contribute 8% of global carbon emissions, and this doesn’t cover emissions due to food loss!

Food loss occurs in both developed and developing countries, though the amounts can differ and range from 17-39%, respectively. This is exponentially regrettable, considering how much of the world's population lack food security. Fruits and vegetables, along with meat, are the important components that provide essential nutrients and vitamins which could prevent malnutrition.

Fresh produce also happens to be more prone to food loss and food waste, as it is perishable. 56% of vegetables and 61% of fruits are wasted after harvest. Fresh produce is lost at pre-harvest, harvest, and post-harvest stages for various reasons.

Minimising Post Harvest Food Loss

There is a 16-36% post-harvest loss of fruits every year due to mechanical, microbial, and physiological causes. There are various stages after harvest where things can go wrong, such as handling, storage, packing, and transportation:

- Handling: Processing involves washing, trimming, and packaging vegetables and fruits to clean them, remove diseased or damaged parts, and improve appearance.

- Grading: Fresh produce is sorted according to their shape, size, and colour into different grades. There is considerable loss of produce at this stage since many fruits and vegetables are rejected for being “ugly.” Government and supermarket policies, as well as consumer awareness, could end food loss at this stage.

- Packaging: Good protective packing material can prevent mechanical and physiological damage during transport and storage. Produce can then retain appearance, taste, and freshness.

- Storage and Ripening: Precooling can reduce up to 6% loss in weight during the storage of both fruits and vegetables. Many climacteric fruits like apples are harvested before ripening, which happens during storage in ripening rooms. Temperature, humidity, and levels of oxygen (O2), carbon dioxide (CO2), and ethylene are closely monitored regularly to provide the best conditions to extend storage and for proper ripening.

Conclusion

At the start of this video, I addressed that we won't have enough food to feed everybody if we cannot manage an increase in production ratios to meet the demands of a global population that is projected to increase greatly by 2050.

I followed that statement up with the solution-based message of our need to reduce the losses from what we already produce, as we simply do not have the resource accessibility to be negligent with our current food production practices.

The thought is, the investment that is needed to reduce the losses around what we currently produce is a lot smaller than the investment it would otherwise require to somehow increase food production.

At this point, education is the prime limitation in the agricultural industry. While we would love the information in these courses to reach particular industry stakeholders within specific branches of the cold chain system, there is information in certain courses that is tailored towards retailers and consumers also. These classes are for anybody who wishes to gain a better understanding of the issues of food loss & waste and what we can do to make a change. Filled with multiple forms of media, quizzes, and exams, this online learning pathway seeks to reach different forms of learners in some way or another.

If the right people can apply this knowledge to their practices and make some positive changes, we could see a great reduction in food losses. Even if we can reduce food loss numbers by 5%, we could feed millions of more people across the world as a result.

The purpose of this course is to shine a light on a global problem and inspire the need for people to do something about it. We may not be able to fully eradicate food loss, and it will not be an overnight fix but if we can make positive steps towards curving the number of losses, we will be contributing towards a healthier future for humanity.