Case study on the mango value chain in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago – Food loss analysis: causes and solutions

This report is produced in the framework of a FAO project “Reduction of post-harvest losses along the food chain in the CARICOM subregion” and identified mango as one of the three commodities for post-harvest loss measurement. The main objectives of the investigation included in-depth analysis of post-harvest handling practices of mango producers, retailers (roadside and mobile market vendors, municipal markets, supermarkets), wholesalers, exporters, processors for development of value-added products and consumers, to obtain a more complete understanding of the system-wide nature of quality deterioration and subsequent losses in order to formulate appropriate solutions for quality management and loss reduction strategies; analysis of the mango value chain as items for food consumption, with quality attributes that must be protected and enhanced in various marketing channels; examination of the significance of losses of both technological and socio-economic origins; examination of the links between growers and provisions for transferring relevant research information on identified problems to producers, traders, processors; design and evaluation of improved operations throughout the system and alternative post-harvest handling systems; and description of key factors affecting the logistics performance in the CARICOM Region with particular emphasis on logistics that affect produce losses in the supply chain.