A.R. Vicente

The Food and Agriculture Organization has reported that approximately one third of the food produced annually (1.3 billion tons) is wasted. Losses and waste per year are close to 20-30% for oil seeds, cereals, meat and fish and 40% for root crops, fruits and vegetables. Postharvest losses are a global shame considering that 870 million people are undernourished and millions of others suffer from nutrient deficiencies. The future scenario is also predicted to be challenging since the rise in the world’s population to nine billion by 2050 will further increase food demands. Improved postharvest management and processing will be needed to reduce losses of the increasingly valuable harvests.