Confronting Food Loss and Food Waste in the Caribbean
In a region celebrated for its rich culinary culture, food loss (what occurs when food becomes unfit for human consumption) and food waste (what happens when we discard food that is still fit for human consumption) are undermining Caribbean food systems and its food security.
The United Nations’ response acknowledges the many dimensions of this threat, which are interlinked with the environment, the economy, and sustainability.
UN Sustainable Development Goal target 12.3 focuses on halving food waste at the retail and consumer levels, and reducing food losses along production and supply chains.
Food loss and food waste indices for this SDG target are measurement tools that support UN Member States in their efforts to track and manage food waste, and to gauge progress in addressing these issues at the global level.
In the Caribbean, the United Nations has been collaborating with civil society organizations in a shared mission to end food loss and food waste.
One example, is UNESCO’s partnership with SIEL Environment Services on the Doh Waste Good Food initiative, which champions food waste management and highlights its links to climate, business resilience, and Caribbean culture.
Another, is participation by the United Nations Information Centre for the Caribbean Area (UNIC Caribbean) in the inaugural ‘Caribbean Food Waste Summit’ hosted by SIEL Environmental on 1 October 2026.
Organisers described this event as the first of its kind in the Caribbean. It included expert panels, plenary discussions, cooking demonstrations, and knowledge-sharing sessions centred on practical, Caribbean-tested approaches to reducing food waste and improving kitchen efficiency.
Panels and Q&A sessions featured agriculturists, agripreneurs, educators, and food waste and food recovery specialists, as well as experts from the hospitality and restaurant industries.
As part of its commemoration of International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (29 September) and World Food Day (16 October), UNIC Caribbean moderated the panel discussion, ‘Building Scalable Food Recovery’.
Each Panel was challenged with the question: What is one action the Caribbean should take now to accelerate efforts to address food waste?
Educating young people about food conservation and recovery was highlighted as an urgent priority for the Caribbean.
This should include formal instruction on agriculture, sustainability, and innovation at the primary school level, and reinforcement of Caribbean cultural values that discourage waste and foster the optimal utilization of every resource.
Another priority was to change perceptions of excess or surplus food: not merely waste, but a resource with potential value for other parts of the food system, the environment, and the economy.
Shifting mindsets and changing behaviour would mean changing terminology. ‘Excess food’ or ‘surplus food’ or ‘unconsumed food ’ were proposed alternatives to ‘waste’; communicating that the food’s value had been retained and that the dignity of those receiving these resources had been recognized.
Participants visited booths hosted by entrepreneurs and agripreneurs, as well as hospitality and restaurant experts who showcased environmentally and financially viable strategies for tackling food waste.
Caribbean initiatives such as the ‘Food Waste Summit’ remind us that partnerships, collective intelligence, and shared commitment, can take us further along the road towards reducing food waste and achieving food security across the region.
