The Business Case for Getting Started with the Global Farm Loss Tool

The Global Farm Loss Tool (GFLT), developed by WWF and partners, enables growers to categorize on-farm food loss into marketable, edible/not marketable, and spoiled categories. This data helps growers improve operational efficiency and create new revenue streams, while allowing buyers to track scope 3 emissions and meet food loss commitments. Early applications include reducing apple production waste to 0.6% at Algoma Orchards and developing new 'snacker' products for smaller strawberries in the US supply chain.

• The GFLT was created to address findings from the 'Driven to Waste' report, which estimated that global on-farm food loss is approximately 15% of food produced, contributing significantly to land use and greenhouse gas emissions.
• The tool categorizes on-farm loss into three actionable types: 'Marketable' (meets quality specs but is unsold due to labor, market access, or cold chain issues), 'Edible/Not Marketable' (suitable for humans but fails quality specs, suitable for secondary channels), and 'Spoiled' (unfit for humans but potentially usable for animal feed, compost, or bio-materials).
• For growers, the tool provides data to optimize in-field training, reduce spoilage to prevent pests, and develop new revenue channels for surplus, such as upcycled or frozen products.
• For buyers, the GFLT facilitates the reporting of progress toward food loss initiatives (such as 10x20x30) and the mitigation of upstream scope 3 emissions according to Science Based Target Initiative guidance.
• Practical applications of the tool include Algoma Orchards reducing apple production waste to 0.6% through buyer partnerships, and a US strawberry supply chain project that identified waste hotspots to create a 'snacker' product for off-grade smaller strawberries.

APA

WWF International (2024). The Business Case for Getting Started with the Global Farm Loss Tool. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/555/4dtwfq1840_GFLT_Business_Case_Brief_240530.0_2_.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. The Business Case for Getting Started with the Global Farm Loss Tool. 2024. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/555/4dtwfq1840_GFLT_Business_Case_Brief_240530.0_2_.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=The Business Case for Getting Started with the Global Farm Loss Tool |date=2024 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/555/4dtwfq1840_GFLT_Business_Case_Brief_240530.0_2_.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2024business, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{The Business Case for Getting Started with the Global Farm Loss Tool}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2024}, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/555/4dtwfq1840_GFLT_Business_Case_Brief_240530.0_2_.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }