Food-loss reduction is linked directly to forest protection

September 29 marks the seventh International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. UNEP and FAO hold a global event in Rome under the theme 'The transformative potential of reducing Food Loss and Waste - Relevance for the Forestry Sector.' Agricultural expansion remains a leading driver of deforestation, while lost and wasted food turns land, water, energy and emissions already invested in production into neither nutrition nor income. The UN frames reduction as a triple gain: better food security and nutrition, lower pressure on natural resources and greenhouse gases, and stronger productivity and growth. SDG 12.3 still aims to halve per-capita retail and consumer food waste and reduce supply-chain losses by 2030. Today's event supplies an agenda and tools, not national baselines, cold-chain investment or verified implementation results.