Food Waste and Loss – Measurement and Terminology

CSA Group
Standards Development Organisation:
Canadian Standards Association (operating as CSA Group)
Working Program:
View the CSA work program
Designation Number:
CSA K100
Standard Type:
National Standard of Canada - Domestic
Standard Development Activity:
New Standard
ICS code(s):
67.050
Status:
Proceeding to development
SDO Comment Period Start Date:
SDO Comment Period End Date:
Posted On:

Scope:

Note: As requested by the responsible SDO, this NOI being reissued as the standard was in the initial stages of development for more than 12 months. An additional comment period of April 9 to April 30, 2024 (originally published on April 4, 2023).

This new standard will provide a framework including terms and definitions around food loss and food waste to provide a consistent, national approach across the food value chain. The new standard will also provide guidance on measurement and characterization of food waste and loss, data collection and monitoring, and the evaluation of the associated environmental impacts (such as GHG emissions), to help provide quantifiable, comparable information. Application of consistent terminology and measurement is intended to assist organizations with benchmarking and the adoption of leading practices to reduce food waste and loss, as well as supporting upcycling through circular bioeconomy business models.

Project need:

Several initiatives across Canada have been launched in support of food waste or food loss reduction. Reducing food waste or loss helps improve social, environmental and economic benefit. Addressing data gaps in food systems and implementation of related circularity initiatives requires the coordination of a diverse and complex network of stakeholders, from agriculture through to retail and waste management, which in turn requires shared understanding of terminology and quantification protocols. This new standard is intended to assist organizations by providing consistent terms, definitions, and measurement approaches in order to quantify food waste or loss and to inform best practices in reduction measures.

Note: The information provided above was obtained by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and is provided as part of a centralized, transparent notification system for new standards development. The system allows SCC-accredited Standards Development Organizations (SDOs), and members of the public, to be informed of new work in Canadian standards development, and allows SCC-accredited SDOs to identify and resolve potential duplication of standards and effort.

Individual SDOs are responsible for the content and accuracy of the information presented here. The text is presented in the language in which it was provided to SCC.