London, 30 September 2026 – Organizations across the food supply chain can now easily implement standardised processes to prevent and minimise excess food, and food loss and waste using a new global guidance published by BSI - the UK's national standards body, and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The new global standard will enable businesses to plan, implement and document processes to monitor, reduce and report excess food and food loss and waste (FLW).
Food loss and waste management system – Requirements for the prevention and minimization of food loss and waste across the food supply chain (BS ISO 20001), sets out a management system standard (MSS) that anyone in the food sector - from farmers and manufacturers to distributors, retailers and food service providers - can implement. Organizations of all sizes can apply the principles of the standard in their daily operations.
Food loss and waste has significant economic, social and environmental impacts, and reducing it is a key priority for governments, international organizations and industry stakeholders. UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12.3, calls for per capita global food waste to be halved at the retail and consumer levels by 2030, and for food losses along production and supply chains to be reduced.
The standard, developed by global experts from over 30 countries including environmental action NGO WRAP, builds on existing measuring and reporting approaches. This includes WRAP's methodologies developed with industry in the UK and globally. It is the first internationally recognized management system standard to give organizations a globally standardized framework to manage, prevent and reduce excess food, and food loss and waste. It is intended to help them identify hotspots, plan, implement, document and communicate controls, and demonstrate continuous improvement rather than a one-off effort.
Organizations can use the standard as a framework for continual improvement or assess their progress against its requirements, giving them a consistent way to monitor progress and report it credibly to regulators, customers and investors. In turn, the standard is designed to help organizations make better decisions, reduce costs, improve efficiency, and deliver wider benefits such as tackling food insecurity and easing pressure on the environment.
The food sector accounts for around a third of global emissions. BSI research into G7 food sector business leaders found that while 77% are committed to reaching national net zero targets, only 59% feel confident of the pathway to get there, with 81% wanting government support to help them act.
The new standard is designed to support further action on food waste, providing an internationally recognised management system that can complement existing guidance and approaches, including those already used by businesses working with WRAP, and help embed food loss and waste management into business operations.
Emily Field, Food Sector Lead at BSI, said: “Across the food supply chain, there is growing ambition and action to tackle food loss and waste. BS ISO 20001 builds on existing measurement and reporting approaches by providing a consistent, globally applicable framework for organizations to turn commitments into action, track progress and continually improve. Ultimately, it helps embed food loss and waste reduction into the way an organization operates.
“Importantly, it also provides a common language for communicating progress to regulators, customers and investors, helping to build trust and contribute to a more food-secure and sustainable world.”
Catherine David, WRAP CEO said: “WRAP welcomes the introduction of BS ISO 20001 as an important step forward for action on food loss and waste. A recognised international standard brings greater focus to organisations systematically monitoring and managing their food loss and waste, helping to make this a more established part of how they operate.
“WRAP has championed action on food waste for more than 20 years, working with businesses to turn ambition into practical action and measurable reductions. We’re proud to have brought that experience and expertise to the development of BS ISO 20001 and hope the new standard will build further momentum for action globally, and help many more businesses reduce food waste, cut costs and improve efficiency, while delivering benefits for people and the planet.”
BS ISO 20001 complements existing management system standards, including BS ISO 14001:2026 Environmental management systems. Requirements with guidance for use and BS ISO 22000:2018 Food safety management systems. Requirements for any organization in the food chain; allowing organizations to integrate FLW management into systems they already have in place.
Further work is under way in this area: ISO 20020, covering requirements for bodies providing audit and certification of food loss/waste management systems, and ISO 20008, covering quantification, measurement, monitoring and reporting methods are both currently in development.
For more information on the standard, please click here.
