Conference Agenda

Food waste represents a significant inefficiency in contemporary food systems, particularly at the retail stage, where storage, handling, and commercialization practices contribute to the discard of foods with high nutritional value. This study aimed to estimate the nutritional losses associated with fruit and vegetable waste in retail markets in the city of Córdoba, Argentina, as an indicator of the system’s capacity to preserve the nutritional value of fresh foods. An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted between July and December 2024 in 125 retail fruit and vegetable shops. Data collection included hygienic–sanitary checklists, semi-structured surveys administered to shop managers, and direct recording of discarded products. Nutritional losses were estimated using official food composition tables (SARA 2), applying edible portion correction factors. The analysis was structured at two levels: a general estimation based on the total volume of food waste, using a representative basket of frequently discarded products (banana, peach, pear, leafy vegetables, tomato, and avocado), and a specific estimation by food type. All surveyed retailers reported food waste, with an average discard of 250.86 ± 197.58 kg per week per shop, equivalent to 13% of total purchases. Estimated weekly nutritional losses included 786,028 mg of potassium, 68,401 mg of vitamin C, 112,887 µg of folic acid, 282 g of dietary fiber, and 174,800 kcal of energy. These findings show that retail food waste involves not only economic and environmental losses, but also a substantial loss of nutritional value from foods that remain suitable for consumption.