Tackling Food Loss in NENA: FAO Hosts Webinar on Digital Innovation with FLAPP

On 12 May 2025, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) hosted a regional webinar on “Exploring FAO’s Food Loss Application (FLAPP): Challenges and opportunities for tackling food loss in the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region.” The event brought together experts, partners, and stakeholders from across the region to explore how digital innovation can drive evidence-based action on food loss.

A persistent challenge for regional food systems

Dr. Rosa Rolle, FAO Senior Enterprise Development Officer, underscored the urgent need to reduce food loss and waste, both globally and in the NENA region. She noted that globally, around 13 percent of food is lost between harvest and retail and emphasized the importance of transitioning from a linear to a circular economy in agriculture. In the NENA region, where up to 15 percent of food is lost before reaching markets, the impact is especially severe given the region’s high levels of food insecurity and natural resource constraints.

FLAPP: A digital solution for on-farm food loss

To support countries in addressing these challenges, FAO launched the Food Loss App (FLAPP) in 2023. FLAPP is a mobile-based tool designed to help producers and cooperatives measure on-farm food losses, identify root causes, and access targeted recommendations for reduction. It works both online and offline, making it suitable for areas with limited connectivity. During the webinar, Luciana Delgado Otero, FAO Technical Advisor, presented a live demonstration of FLAPP and highlighted its key features, including the ability to track loss by quantity, quality, and economic value across six stages of the production process. The app has already been piloted in over 36 countries and covers 13 commodities, including potatoes, cereals, tomatoes, and dairy products.

Delgado emphasized the ongoing work to adapt the tool for NENA, including the development of an Arabic-language version and the identification of region-specific value chains.

Cooperatives as drivers of collective impact

Speakers also highlighted the critical role of cooperatives in reducing food loss.

Adam Sendall, FAO Value Chain Specialist, presented case studies from countries such as Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine, illustrating how food loss varies by crop and production system. Sara Vicari, FAO Cooperative Development Expert, discussed how cooperatives can support smallholders by enabling shared access to storage, transport, and value addition facilities. She shared the success story of CAPAG, Morocco’s largest cooperative, as a model of scalable, inclusive action. An open discussion followed, where participants provided input on priority crops to be included in FLAPP and shared ideas for strengthening stakeholder engagement.

Closing the event, Moustapha Mohamed, FAO Regional Food Safety and Quality Officer, reiterated FAO’s commitment to supporting localization efforts and encouraged governments, cooperatives, and partners to help pilot and promote FLAPP at national and community levels.

Next steps toward achieving SDG 12.3

As part of its broader agenda to meet Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, which calls for halving food waste and significantly reducing food loss by 2030, FAO will continue working closely with governments, cooperatives, and agribusinesses to deploy FLAPP more widely. With the right partnerships and regional ownership, FLAPP has the potential to transform the way food loss is measured, understood, and addressed across the NENA region, ultimately contributing to more sustainable and resilient food systems.