Indonesia’s Ministry of National Development Planning (Bappenas) together with Waste4Change and supported by the World Resources Institute (WRI) Indonesia and the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (UKFCDO) launched the results of the study of Food Loss and Waste (FLW) study in Indonesia at the FLW Management Strategy Webinar to Support the Circular Economy and Low Carbon Development, on June 9, 2021, moderated by Mariski Nirwan, GGGI’s Knowledge and Capacity Development Lead.

The Minister of National Development Planning/Head of Bappenas, Suharso Monoarfa said that the demand for foods in Indonesia is high, but the availability is limited due to mobility restrictions during the Covid-19 pandemic, this means the identification of FLW in Indonesia is important so that we can plan and develop efforts to narrow the existing gaps.

According to the results of a study by Bappenas together with several other institutions, Indonesia disposes 23-48 million tons of food waste per year in the period of 2000-2019 or equivalent to 115-184 kilograms per capita per year. The resulting economic loss is Rp 213-551 trillion/year or about 4-5 percent of Indonesia’s GDP per year. Socially, it causes a loss of energy which is the same as a portion of food for 61-125 million people per year.

FLW is dominated by grains, namely rice, corn, wheat and related products, while the most inefficiently processed food types are vegetables, where its loss is 62.8 percent of the total domestic supply of vegetables in Indonesia. Emissions from FLW are equivalent to 7.29% of the average Indonesian Greenhouse Gases. The results of this study will be used as the basis for policy makers to implement the Low Carbon Development in Indonesia which has become a Priority Program in the 2020-2024 RPJMN while realizing Indonesia’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).