ABSTRACT
One-thirds of the world’s food production is lost or wasted. These wastes reduce the availability of food for the population, increase its prices, and generate environmental problems due to the generation of greenhouse gases. A common problem in developing countries is the paucity of data on the amount, causes, and uses of the food losses. This work was carried out an estimate of the losses of cantaloupe melon, its reasons, and uses in the production, packaging, and transportation links in a region of North-Central Mexico known as the Comarca Lagunera. This region is the largest producer of cantaloupe melon in Mexico, with an area of more than 4565 hectares and a production of 165,663 tons. In the Comarca Lagunera there are three planting stages of cantaloupe melon: Early (January–February), intermediate (March–April), and late (June–August). A structured questionnaire was applied to a statistical sample of 47 producers and 8 packers. It was found 22that the losses in production vary according to the planting season, with more significant losses in late sowings, 17%, followed by early ones with 11% and intermediate ones, 10%. The main causes of losses are inadequate fruit size, deformed, excessive maturity spotted, and cracked. The product that is wasted in the farm is destined to feed domestic animals or as fertilizer to the land. At the same time, the one that is discarded in the packaging is resold to small local intermediaries for its commercialization. More specialized trainings to producers on production technologies are necessary to obtain higher production yields and better quality.
