New international standard gives food companies a framework to cut waste
BS ISO 20001, developed by experts from more than 30 countries, lets organizations across the supply chain manage and report food loss and waste.
The British Standards Institution (BSI) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) have launched what BSI calls the first internationally recognized management system standard for preventing and reducing food loss and waste across the supply chain.
The standard, BS ISO 20001, is designed for farmers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers and food service providers of any size, Peter Dennis reported Sept. 30 in Circular Online. It sets out how organizations can plan, carry out and document processes to monitor, reduce and report excess food and food waste, and gives them a consistent way to report progress to regulators, customers and investors.
Experts from more than 30 countries developed the standard, including the British environmental charity Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), whose industry measurement methods it builds on.
"Ultimately, it helps embed food loss and waste reduction into the way an organisation operates," said Emily Field, food sector lead at BSI. Field said the standard also gives organizations a common language for communicating their progress.
WRAP Chief Executive Catherine David called the standard an important step. "A recognised international standard brings greater focus to organisations systematically monitoring and managing their food loss and waste," David said.
This brief is based on reporting by Peter Dennis, published Sept. 30, 2026, in Circular Online. Read the original: https://www.circularonline.co.uk/news/bsi-and-iso-launch-international-standard-to-prevent-food-waste/
This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by an editor before publication.
