One-third of all edible food produced is lost or wasted each year. The UN’s proposed Sustainable Development Goal 12 aims at a 50% reduction in food waste per capita at the retail and consumer level and includes general recommendation on reducing food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses. The HLPE report “Food Losses and Waste in the Context of Sustainable Food Systems” synthesizes state-of-the-art knowledge about best food waste reduction practices and suggests a way forward. This policy brief synopsizes the HLPE report’s major conclusions, including definitions, challenges to food waste prevention, future pathways and finally provides an overview of important on-going regional and global initiatives.