Sustainable Postharvest Management Practices for Fresh Produce

Postharvest losses pose a major risk to the sustainability of global food systems. Surveys have estimated that 33% of fresh produce is lost during the postharvest handling chain. These losses are often much higher in developing countries, exceeding 50% in some regions. Global food systems emit a significant amount of greenhouse gases due to the industry’s high consumption of fossil fuels. Consequently, postharvest losses have a detrimental impact on the environment as they result in a loss of water, energy, and other agricultural inputs such as fertilizers.

Reducing postharvest losses is one of the key strategies for achieving sustainable and resilient food systems. While various postharvest treatments are used to reduce food losses, some of these technologies are not sustainable due to their high energy inefficiency and carbon footprint. The consumer and environmental health risk associated with certain postharvest treatments is another issue that has received attention in recent years. Furthermore, the high cost of some of these technologies negatively affects their adoption, particularly in developing countries. Thus, there is an urgent need to focus on sustainable postharvest technologies for fresh agricultural produce.

There is a growing need to discuss and develop policy measures for controlling quality and decreasing the amount of food loss. In this Research Topic, sustainable postharvest technologies (such as biocontrol agents, edible coatings, and non-thermal treatments, such as irradiation, ozone, and atmospheric cold plasma) will be addressed. This collection will also address sustainable postharvest management practices aimed at reducing food losses, and at the same time increasing the efficiency of these practices by limiting the use of non-renewable energy sources. Additionally, policy measures that can be taken to promote sustainable postharvest technologies will be discussed.

Keywords: food waste policy, postharvest food loss, food systems, fresh produce, postharvest losses, resilient food systems, postharvest technologies

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