Food Forward 2026: Innovations and Actions to Reduce Food Loss and Waste in India
India's food system loses a significant amount of food before it reaches consumers and wastes a substantial quantity after it does. Post-harvest losses are estimated at 68.9 million metric tonnes, costing nearly INR 1,527 billion annually, while the country generates 78.2 million tonnes of food waste every year. Together, food loss and food waste reduce farmer incomes, affect access to nutritious food, waste valuable natural resources, and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.
Addressing this challenge requires stronger evidence, greater awareness, and coordinated action across the food value chain. Building on the success of Food Forward 2025, which brought together over 1,100 registered participants and experts from government, academia, civil society, and industry, WRI India is launching Food Forward 2026 under the Friends of Champions 12.3 India initiative.
The three-part webinar series will showcase emerging evidence, policy perspectives, and innovative solutions to reduce food loss and food waste in India.
Webinar Series Overview:
Session 1: Beyond the Harvest: Assessing post-harvest losses in onion, soyabean, and custard apple in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra
29 September 2026 | 03:30 PM – 05:00 PM IST | Hybrid (Session Agenda; Watch the Full Session)
The session explored evidence and solutions to reduce post-harvest losses in India and featured the launch of our new working paper, ‘Counting the Uncounted for People and Climate: Post-Harvest Losses in Soyabean, Custard Apple and Onion in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra’.
Session 2: Advancing Circular Food Systems through Actions on Reducing Food Waste
28 October 2026 | 04:00 PM – 05:00 PM IST | Register here (Concept Note)
The session will explore how city-level policies, food waste measurement and innovative solutions can help prevent food waste and advance circular food systems across India. This is an official World Circular Economy Forum Side Event.
The final session will look at how artificial intelligence is helping reduce food loss and food waste across the supply chain and what it will take to scale these solutions in India.
Join us as we bring together evidence, innovation, and diverse perspectives to move the conversation from identifying the problem to accelerating practical solutions for a more resilient, efficient, and sustainable food system.