Food security is a global priority. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the number of people facing chronic food deprivation reached 828 million in 2021, while over one third of the world’s current food production is wasted or lost annually. The pressure on the globe’s food value chains is only building – by 2050, the world population is projected to reach 9.77 billion. Solving the problem of food loss and waste (FLW) can significantly improve food security worldwide and will bring us strides closer to the UN Sustainable Development Goal to end hunger.

In this paper, we first aim to clarify the concept of FLW, because the setting of clear definitions and measurement approaches are key parts of the solution. We then talk about FLW at both a global and regional level, and examine the efforts of governments in the GCC to address the problem, while also highlighting their successes, and putting forward further suggestions.