The FOod Commodity composition for Waste qUantification and valorization opportunitieS (FOWCUS) Dataset

This dataset compiles the mass composition of about 280 food commodities, categorized into various groups including vegetables, fruits, nuts, eggs, livestock, seafood, cereals, sugar, vegetable oils, stimulants, pulses, and root vegetables. This dataset quantitatively captures the mass share of components forming each food commodity (post-harvest, as it enters the farm-gate) and classify them as avoidable, potentially avoidable, or unavoidable food waste. This classification enables researchers to understand waste patterns across the food supply and identify potential revalorization opportunities for unavoidable food waste via, for instance, feedstocks for bio-chemical, bio-material, and bio-energy applications. It also supports the quantification of food waste generation across the food supply chain, crucial for food waste studies and the monitoring of food waste reduction targets at the national and international levels. This dataset is indexed according to FAOSTAT commodity typology, using CPC code, and therefore can directly be integrated with FAOSTAT production databases to quantify the total mass of these avoidable, potentially avoidable, and unavoidable food waste streams at national and regional levels. This dataset should serve as a valuable resource for researchers and policymakers in managing food waste and valorizing by-products.