PDApp Operational Group: Moving toward a digital model for zero waste in the agri-food sector

The GO PDApp has developed a Food Loss and Waste (FLW) Quantification Guide, a document that describes the methodology for quantifying FLW using efficient techniques, obtaining representative data with minimal investment of time and resources, especially for the fruit and vegetable sector.
The Guide is available at this link: https://tinyurl.com/2c4g7ljd
The main steps of the process are:

• Define the scope. This involves defining what you want to measure, based on this series of elements:
  
  • What to analyze?
  • What products or lines will be taken into account?
  • When to quantify?
  • What period of production/processing/marketing will be considered?
  • At what level of detail?
  • Which operations are prioritized because they generate more PDA?
  • What to quantify?
  • What types of PDA will be taken into account?
  • Why do PDAs occur?
  • Where are PDAs used?
    
• Establish the methodology based on ease of access to data, resources, business size, and production complexity.
  
• Quantify, including:
  
  • Define a schedule of activities and assign those responsible.
  • Define the materials needed for each task.
  • Define the investment of economic resources.
  • Train staff and responsible persons.
  • Conduct a pilot quantification.
  • Collect the records.
  • Extrapolate the data.
  • Make a summary of the data obtained.
  • Convert the results into economic, environmental and social indicators.
    
    The methods used follow the common European methodology (Delegated Decision (EU) 2019/1597) and international protocols.

GO PDApp has developed a digital platform for the prevention and management of food loss and waste (FW).
This explanatory document details its main features and utilities (https://tinyurl.com/27fj7urj). To register, follow these simple steps (https://tinyurl.com/2cq3wo7k). Access the platform by clicking this link: https://app.coag.com.es/onboarding/login.
The tool provides a Prevention Plan in digital format, following an analysis, diagnosis, and quantification of the PDA situation, which aids decision-making. It also includes a sustainability tool, which supports and aids decision-making on how to channel losses with the least possible impact, from a social, economic, and environmental perspective. This helps ensure compliance with the legislation's hierarchy of priorities. A Marketplace has also been created where interested parties can agree on how to manage the transaction and donation of PDAs, with the corresponding traceability and registration control. Finally, this entire system is supported and facilitated by experts, who facilitate the entire process.   
To test the system, nine Prevention Plans for companies have been developed, and more than 70 real-life exchanges have been carried out on the Marketplace between generating and receiving entities (processing companies or social food donation organizations) to verify the correct functioning of this part of the tool.

The Digital Platform developed by the GO PDApp includes a back-end tool to measure the impact on the sustainability of companies due to the Food Loss and Waste (FLW) they generate, as well as the influence of measures to prevent, minimize, or reduce these pipelines.

A bibliographic analysis was conducted to identify studies conducted in LCA, LCA, and LCA-S. From this, the indicator calculation models and the tool integrated into the PDApp digital platform were developed. Finally, the impact reports generated from the exchanges carried out in the PDApp Marketplace were designed.

One indicator has been chosen for each dimension of sustainability:

• Carbon footprint: CO2 emissions from growing and/or processing food that becomes wastewater and its subsequent management.
• Cost: Economic expense for the producer for growing and/or processing a food that becomes FLW and its subsequent management.
• Wasted meals: Number of meals that have not been used when a food becomes FLW.

To calculate these indicators, the type of fruit and vegetable product, the stage of the production chain in which it is produced, the distance it has traveled, and its final destination are taken into account. These indicators have several functions, including assessing the impact of quantified FLWs, as well as the impact variation of the channeling carried out through the Marketplace. Once the exchange is completed, reports are generated so that the producer can demonstrate impact reductions compared to the non-reuse of food. Furthermore, since they are endorsed by the portal itself, they are binding, traceable, and invariable.