Methodology Used by INRA to Analyze Food Loss in Supply Chains

The chapter outlines the methodology of a transversal INRA study on food losses, defining food loss as products intended for human consumption but discarded or lost, except when recycled into animal feed. It specifies the study perimeter from harvest or removal through distribution, and includes ‘shortfalls’ in production relative to an optimum yield for comparison. Data collection and presentation methods are detailed, including strategies to aggregate losses across stages despite changes in edible fraction during processing. The framework is compared with European and international initiatives such as FUSIONS and the FLW Protocol to highlight harmonization and comparability issues.