Food waste is projected to cost US$540 billion globally by 2026.

The cost of food waste in the global supply chain is expected to reach… US$ 540 billion in 2026, a 2.7% increase compared to the previous year, according to Avery Dennison studyThe report highlights that the problem is one of the biggest financial challenges in retail, severely impacting company profitability. In Brazil, the scenario is alarming: losses from harvest to point of sale represent… 32% of annual revenue of the supply chain. The main cause of the loss is operational "blindness," because 61% of companies don't know where the losses are occurring. and 67% still rely on manual inventory counts.…a slow and imprecise method. Transportation logistics is also a critical point, with more than half of the leaders admitting they do not understand the failures during product movement. Among the categories, the… Meat is the most difficult to manage., and should generate on their own a US$94 billion loss in 2026.

Fruits and vegetables come next, with 45% difficulty in controlling them.External factors such as inflation and changes in consumer behavior, with people now seeking smaller portions, make demand forecasting even more difficult. To contain the shortfall, the sector is betting on… innovation and logisticsThe investment in technology It is seen as essential to ensure that products arrive at their destination safely. optimized quality and costIf the current pace persists, The cumulative cost of waste by 2030 could reach… US$ 3.4 trillion, threatening the UN's sustainability goals. No Brazilwhere approximately is discarded 55.4 million tons of food per yearModernizing post-harvest and storage infrastructure is vital.

This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.