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Abstract
The aim of the present paper is to show the results of the studies of food losses, as conducted in Poland in 2019, and to estimate the amount of food waste at a level of primary (agricultural) production in Poland during the years 2017-2018. Also, the differences between the food losses and food waste, based upon current definitions and legal regulations obligatory in Poland and the European Union, were indicated. The studies of food losses in primary production were carried out in the whole of Poland on a representative sample of 1,378 respondents from six sectors of the economy, with the utilization of a survey-questionnaire, using the PAPI (Paper& Pen Personal Interview) method. The mass of food waste was estimated on the grounds of the results of food losses and wastage, considering methods of management, excluding the destination for consumption purposes or animal feeds. From the conducted studies, it follows that the directions of management of food losses in primary (agricultural) production are different and are greatly dependent on the sector, i.e., the type of managed raw material, the causes of the resulting losses and the stage of production where the mentioned losses are generated. Food losses in agricultural production constitute 15% of total food losses in Poland, i.e., 749.48 thousand tonnes annually, whereas food waste is estimated at a level of 507.94 thousand tonnes per year. The appropriate management of losses in accordance with the hierarchy of proceeding with waste reduces the quantity of waste, decreasing, in effect, its negative impact on the environment.