Food potential

Refers to the amount of food produced per production unit. The highest food potential can be obtained if all edible food is consumed and none is wasted, while the lowest food potential refers to if all edible food is wasted and none is eaten. The global wastage of food is estimated to 1/3, meaning that the global food potential can be estimated to roughly 2/3.

Food potential can also be viewed as the potential of a certain product to become food, either directly or following processing. The food potential in produced foods can often be calculated based on losses and waste along the food supply chain. If for every 10 kg of vegetables cultivated, 2 kg are unharvested due to irregular shapes, 1 kg is rejected or wasted at retail and another 1 kg is wasted at household level, the food potential per unit vegetables produced is around 60%.

The food potential in food waste can be calculated based on the amount that can be prevented or valorised, and thus replace production of a similar product. For instance, if 10 kg of vegetables are recovered from retail instead of wasted, and 2 kg are lost during re-processing into a new product (such as juice), the food potential in recovered vegetables can be estimated to 80% - if this juice is assumed to replace a similar juice product.