ISO 20001:2026
2026-09
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ISO 20001:2026
What is ISO 20001?
ISO 20001:2026 is an international standard for food loss and waste management systems. It helps organizations identify, measure, prevent and reduce food loss and waste throughout their operations and supply chains.
By providing a structured approach to setting objectives, managing risks and monitoring progress, ISO 20001 helps organizations improve resource efficiency, reduce unnecessary costs and support more sustainable food systems.
Why is ISO 20001 important?
Food loss and waste create significant economic, social and environmental challenges. When food is lost or wasted, the resources used to produce, process and transport it are wasted too.
ISO 20001 helps organizations move beyond isolated waste reduction initiatives towards a systematic approach that prioritizes prevention, improves operational efficiency and supports continual improvement.
The standard also contributes to the ambitions of UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, which aims to halve per capita food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains by 2030.
Benefits of ISO 20001
- Reduce costs: Identify opportunities to prevent food loss and waste and improve operational efficiency.
- Improve resource efficiency: Make better use of food, raw materials and by-products.
- Measure progress: Establish consistent processes to quantify, monitor and report food loss and waste.
- Support sustainability goals: Strengthen environmental performance and contribute to responsible consumption and production.
- Improve supply chain collaboration: Work with suppliers, customers and other stakeholders to reduce food loss and waste.
- Drive continual improvement: Set objectives, evaluate performance and adapt reduction measures over time.
FAQ
Food loss generally refers to food removed from the supply chain during production, post-harvest handling, storage and processing, while food waste is commonly associated with retail, food service and consumption. ISO 20001 addresses food loss and waste across the food supply chain.
By helping organizations prevent and reduce food loss and waste, ISO 20001 can contribute to more efficient use of natural resources, reduced environmental impacts and progress towards sustainability objectives, including UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3.
General information
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Status: PublishedPublication date: 2026-09Stage: International Standard published [60.60]
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Edition: 1Number of pages: 37
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Technical Committee :ISO/TC 34/SC 20
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