Food Losses in the Broiler Supply Chain

This study defines, describes, and quantifies food losses in the French broiler supply chain from live animal harvesting to retail. Food losses include products discarded for safety reasons or redirected to by-products unsuitable for animal feed. The research maps each processing step, identifies technical, economic, regulatory, and organizational factors influencing losses, and implements a spreadsheet to estimate loss shares under scenarios such as carcass cutting proportions and giblet rejection rates. Confidentiality of industrial data and limited documentation on marketing and retail stages complicate quantification. The preliminary findings call for broader professional engagement and further research to address growing public interest in reducing food losses.