IFC’s Food Loss Impact Tool

Close-up of a large pile of harvested yellow corn cobs, some showing signs of drying and decay, illustrating agricultural produce.

IFC’s Food Loss Impact Tool

An innovation by IFC, this tool estimates input savings, biodiversity benefits, food security implications, as well as GHG emissions associated with crop and food loss.

Introducing IFC’s Food Loss Impact Tool

When food is lost between farm and fork, the energy, water, fertilizer, and other resources along the value chain that went into producing this food are also wasted. In addition, food that is discarded often decays, generating methane, a highly potent greenhouse gas.

Split-screen infographic illustrating global food system pressures: left side highlights the projected increase of 2 billion people by 2050 and rising food insecurity; right side shows a pile of rotting fruits and vegetables with a message about one-third of global food being lost or wasted.

With support from GAFSP and the Government of the Netherlands, IFC, in partnership with Carbon Trust, developed a first-of-its-kind tool to estimate the GHG reductions, food security implications, input savings (water, fertilizers, and fuel), & biodiversity benefits from reducing food loss across various stages of the value chain. The tool reports impacts for 80 crops/foods in 160 countries. The tool was peer-reviewed by FAO and Cranfield University.