Between 2000 and 2019, Indonesia generated between 23 and 48 million tons of food waste annually.
This figure combines food loss (food wasted during production, post-harvest/storage, and processing/packaging) and food waste (food wasted during distribution/marketing and consumption leftovers).
This significant amount of food waste in Indonesia is recorded in the *Report on the Study of Food Loss and Waste in Indonesia* (2021), a collaborative research project between the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas, Waste4Change, and the World Resources Institute.
Broken down by category, an average of 44% of Indonesia's food waste during the 2000-2019 period consisted of cereals.
This cereal group includes rice, corn, wheat, and their derivatives such as unmilled rice, rice, wheat flour, and others.
"The largest amount of FLW (food loss and waste) is contributed by the food crop sector, specifically from cereals, amounting to 12-21 million tons per year," stated the Bappenas team in their report.
After cereals, the most significant food waste in Indonesia comes from fruits and vegetables, with the proportions shown in the graph.
Bappenas explains that various factors contribute to food waste.
From the production and distribution side, food waste arises from poor harvesting techniques, overproduction leading to spoilage, suboptimal post-harvest storage facilities, and poor quality packaging.
On the consumption side, food waste stems from the excessive purchasing and food preparation habits of some members of the community.
"In some Indonesian communities, there's a belief that 'more is better than less,' and this applies to food preparation and purchasing," said the Bappenas team.
"50.18% of the study respondents (questionnaire survey) confirmed that excess food portions, especially food consumed at home, are the main factor causing food leftovers," they continued.