Enemies and allies: the different roles of insects towards fruit and vegetable loss and waste

The halving of food loss and waste is one of the 2030 Agenda main goals. For fruit and vegetables, loss and waste occur from the field to the table, reaching worldwide around 572 million tonnes per year. One of the major causes of damages and spoilage is represented by insect pests. In the Mediterranean area, the most threatening species at the post-harvest and storage stages are Ceratitis capitata, Drosophila suzukii, and Spodoptera littoralis. On the other hand, some valuable insects like Hermetia illucens can bioconvert organic by-products and waste into upcycled materials (e.g., lipids, proteins, biofuels) and be a source of chitosan. Chitosan can be applied as a protectant of fruit and vegetables against pests and pathogens. This report includes some notes about the damages caused by the selected insect pests and the useful applications of H. illucens. Furthermore, we summarise the involvement of the entomology laboratory of the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment of the University of Pisa in loss and waste of fruit and vegetable management.