Food Waste Management: A Way Forward for Ensuring Food Security and Sustainability

The current era is marked by a significant challenge in food waste, an issue that has gained prominence in recent years. Traditional approaches to tackle this problem involve three essential steps: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Successfully minimizing waste at various stages of the food chain, including post-harvest, supply, processing, and consumer levels, has shown remarkable results, contributing positively to overall food security and environmental sustainability. Efforts have been made to explore the potential of nanotechnology in enhancing food security in India. Key factors such as agricultural efficiency, soil health, water conservation, and food safety during storage and distribution can be significantly influenced by advancements in nanotechnology. The framework comprises two phases: firstly, aligning nanotechnology with thematic areas across the agricultural value chain, and secondly, linking nanotechnology applications within these thematic areas to the essential determinants of food security.