Every tonne of food lost or wasted represents a missed opportunity. It reflects resources that have already been invested - land, water, energy, labour, transportation and cost - but have failed to deliver their intended value.

Food loss and waste is one of the biggest challenges we face today.

In the UK alone, approximately 10.2 million tonnes of food waste is generated each year across households, farms, manufacturing, retail and hospitality. This presents an economic challenge, a resource management challenge and, increasingly, a strategic business challenge.

As organizations look for ways to improve efficiency, strengthen sustainability performance and build more resilient supply chains, food loss and waste is moving from an operational issue to a strategic priority.

That is why the publication of BS ISO 20001:2026 Food loss and waste management system — Requirements for the prevention and minimization of food loss and waste across the food supply chain is such an important milestone.

A challenge bigger than waste  

Food loss and waste occurs throughout the food supply chain.

Food can be lost during harvesting, storage, processing, transportation and distribution. It can be wasted at retail level or by food service organizations. It can also be discarded by consumers despite remaining safe and edible. The underlying causes are often complex, interconnected and difficult to identify without reliable data.

This complexity creates a significant management challenge.

Organizations frequently invest in forecasting tools, inventory management systems, process improvements and supply chain collaboration initiatives. Yet despite these efforts, many continue to struggle with fundamental questions:

• Where are the most significant sources of food loss and waste?

• How can progress be monitored across different operations and locations?

• Which interventions deliver the greatest impact?

• How can progress be demonstrated consistently and credibly?

Without a structured management system, food waste reduction efforts can remain reactive rather than strategic. Embedding clear processes for identifying hotspots, taking action and monitoring progress can help organizations manage food loss and waste more systematically.

Discover our Food & Agriculture page for more insights, guidance and standards.

The significance of BS ISO 20001:2026

BS ISO 20001:2026 is the world's first management system standard dedicated specifically to food loss and waste management.

It provides a management system framework to help organizations systematically manage, prevent and minimize food loss and waste across the food supply chain while supporting monitoring, reporting and continual improvement.

The development of BS ISO 20001:2026 brought together expertise from across the food ecosystem, including WRAP, who contributed valuable insight to the committee responsible for developing the standard, drawing on more than 20 years of experience in food waste monitoring and reduction.

The new standard is designed to support further action on food waste, providing an internationally recognised management system that can complement existing guidance and approaches, including those already used by businesses working with WRAP, and help embed food loss and waste management into business operations.

BS ISO 20001:2026 has been designed to support organizations in:

• Establishing a structured food loss and waste management system.

• Putting processes in place to monitor and report progress on food loss and waste.

• Supporting continual improvement activities.

• Strengthening sustainability and ESG initiatives.

• Demonstrating progress to customers, regulators and investors.

• Improving efficiency across operations and supply chains.

Its significance lies not only in its technical requirements, but also in its potential to establish a common language and common approach for organizations operating across the food ecosystem.

From primary producers and manufacturers to logistics providers, retailers, food service organizations and food banks, the standard has been designed to support a wide range of stakeholders. This is particularly important because food loss and waste is not confined to a single stage of the supply chain.

These benefits are particularly relevant as organizations face increasing scrutiny regarding sustainability performance and resource management.

An untapped asset: Creating opportunity with BS ISO 20001:2026

Every product that is lost or wasted represents resources that have already been invested.

Think about the raw materials used to produce it, the energy required to process it, the labour involved in handling it and the costs associated with transporting and storing it.

As a result, food loss and waste is not simply a waste management challenge. It is a business performance challenge. Organizations that reduce food loss and waste can cut costs, improve operational efficiency, make better use of valuable resources and strengthen decision-making.

BS ISO 20001:2026 can help organizations gain greater visibility into their operations, identify inefficiencies more effectively and make more informed choices about where to focus improvement efforts.

Implementing the standard can also help support:

• Improved operational efficiency.

• Better use of valuable resources.

• Stronger sustainability and ESG performance.

• Greater transparency across supply chains.

• Increased stakeholder confidence.

• Progress towards wider food security objectives.

Perhaps most importantly, tackling food loss and waste helps organizations create more value from the resources they already have. Every tonne of food saved is a better return on the time, energy, effort and investment already made.

In an increasingly resource-constrained world, reducing food loss and waste can deliver benefits for businesses, people and the planet, helping to build a more efficient, resilient and sustainable food system.

Experience how BS ISO 20001:2026 can help your organization identify hidden inefficiencies, reduce food loss and waste and create greater value from every resource invested.