Amid the challenge of hindered food supply in the world, mainly in Africa, food waste reduction has become a priority to ensure access to safe food for all. Last year, the roundtable discussion united key decision makers across Africa and the MENA region to explore measures and strategies to reduce food waste in partnership with UNIDO and WPO, recognizing the critical role of the packaging industry. For the first time, the food industry joined the dialogue, strengthening regional efforts to address prevailing challenges and ensuring that stakeholders across the value chain consolidated their actions for more coherent and groundbreaking results.

Building on this momentum, preparations are underway for the upcoming 2026 roundtable with UNIDO, where the conversation will continue to advance sustainable industrial development in the food packaging sector and reinforce collective strategies to reduce food loss and waste.