By Milliam Murigi
For long, transportation has been viewed as one of the main points where fresh produce is lost along the food supply chain.
However, a new study has revealed that markets are a bigger source of food loss, with produce often going to waste during storage and trading.
The findings from TechnoServe’s NutriSave programme show that fruits and vegetables are most frequently lost during storage at markets, either during trading hours or overnight.
The research, traced tomatoes, mangoes and dark leafy vegetables through Nairobi’s wholesale markets, following the produce from suppliers to informal retailers.
“Losses were particularly concentrated among larger vendors who handle higher volumes and are more likely to have unsold produce at the end of the day,” said Richard Pluke, TechnoServe’s Director of Regenerative Agriculture.
The findings point to a deeper problem within Kenya’s food system – how supply and demand are coordinated. Kenya loses millions of tonnes of food every year, even as millions of people struggle to afford enough nutritious food.
Instead of simply increasing food production, the researchers say there is an opportunity to improve how surplus produce is managed, including connecting excess fruits and vegetables with businesses that can process them.
Cold storage could also help reduce losses where investment in the technology makes commercial sense. However, the research highlights the need for better data and cost-benefit analysis before such solutions are taken to scale.
“Reducing food loss and waste is one of the clearest indicators that a food system is truly regenerative,” said Pluke.
“Your first priority is trying to prevent edible food from being lost,” he said, adding that keeping food edible preserves both its nutritional value and the economic opportunities associated with it.
He said that where food loss cannot be prevented, the next priority should be to redistribute or sell safe edible surplus, followed by processing and, as a last resort, recovering value through options such as composting or bioenergy.
The findings were presented during the Waste Less, Nourish More: Evidence, Action, and the Future of Food Systems convening, which brought together researchers, government representatives, donors, private-sector players and other food-system actors to discuss lessons from the three-year programme.
The convening also showcased some of the solutions that the company embraced for the success of the program whose aim is prevent food loss and waste and improve nutrition in Kenya’s low-income communities.
One of the solutions is working with Six Square Limited to redirect surplus and cosmetically imperfect produce into minimally processed ready to cook products.
They also partnered with the Baba Mboga app, a grocery delivery platform in Kenya that provides fresh produce and prepped vegetables, directly to consumers and informal vendors.
“Informal food vendors were central to achieving NutriSave’s dual objectives: reducing food loss and waste while improving access to nutritious food for low-income consumers. We need to invest more in their agency if we are to achieve meaningful food system transformation in Kenya,” said Sebastian Oggema, Acting Country Director, TechnoServe.
The programme has captured these lessons in Waste Less, Nourish More: A Practitioners’ Playbook for Reducing Food Loss and Waste while Increasing Access to Nutrition, which offers practical recommendations for policymakers and practitioners working at the intersection of agri-food systems, nutrition and markets.
The playbook says Kenya faces food losses of between 30 and 40 per cent while only a small share of the population consumes recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables.
It says reducing food loss and improving nutrition should not be treated as separate problems. Food that is still safe to eat can be redirected into products that meet the needs and purchasing power of low-income consumers.
The playbook recommends that programmes first gather evidence on where losses happen, then test solutions in real markets before investing heavily in them.
It also stresses the importance of involving private companies early, testing whether solutions can make money and adapting them when evidence shows that an idea is not working.
