Amber Economy is a new economic framework designed to preserve food value across global food systems. It redefines food as a strategic asset of multidimensional value, integrating nutritional, economic, social, territorial, and environmental dimensions
Reduce food loss and waste through systemic design
Transform food into measurable multi-dimensional value
Connect policy, business and impact under one framework
We produce enough food, yet food systems continue to fail
This is not a production problem — it is a value loss problem
Millions of people face hunger while enormous quantities of food are lost or wasted every day.
This is not a production problem.
It is a failure in how we understand and manage the value of food.
Amber Economy introduces a structural shift: from maximizing volume to preserving food value across systems.
Food is not just a commodity
It is a system of value
The Amber Economy is an applied framework…
Amber Economy is a food systems framework that focuses on preserving food value instead of maximizing production. It enables governments, companies, and organizations to reduce food loss and transform food systems through value-based design.
The Amber Economy is an applied framework that redefines food as a strategic asset, generating economic, nutritional, social, territorial and environmental value.
It enables systems to preserve, recover and maximize that value.
In the Amber Economy, food value is understood as a multidimensional system
The 5 Dimensions of Food Value
Every unit of food carries multiple layers of value
1. Nutritional
Supports health, development and human life
2. Economic
Represents investment, labor and productivity
3. Social
Strengthens communities and reduces inequality
4. Territorial
Connects ecosystems, cultures and local economies
5. Environmental
Embodies water, soil, biodiversity and energy
Why the Amber Economy matters
Food loss, hunger, and environmental degradation are not isolated problems. They are the result of a systemic failure in how food value is preserved and distributed within global food systems
They are expressions of the same systemic failure:
the inability to preserve and allocate food value.
Solving one without the others is no longer viable
We need a unified framework
How the Amber Economy works
The Amber Economy framework translates into action through a structured methodology to preserve food value
Map food systems (actors, flows, gaps)
Identify losses and recoverable surplus
Measure value across dimensions
Prioritize high-value allocation
Design governance and coordination models
Track impact through modular indicators
Where it applies
Amber Economy can be applied across multiple sectors to transform food systems and preserve food value at scale.
Public Policy
Food value preservation models
Territorial resilience strategies
Multi-actor governance
Business & Industry
Surplus optimization strategies
Food recovery systems
Value-based supply chains
Impact Investment
Multi-dimensional impact measurement
SROI-aligned frameworks
Scalable food value models
Key Amber Economy Indicators
Measuring Food Value in a New Way
Amber Economy translates food systems into measurable multidimensional value
These indicators allow organizations to measure how effectively food value is preserved across systems.
Nutritional Value
Meals Secured Index (MSI)
Nutritional Access Rate (NAR)
Meal Frequency Index (MFI)
Economic Value
Total Food Value Recovered (TFVR)
Total Economic Benefit (TEB)
Return on Food Value (RFV)
Environmental Value
Total Food Waste Avoided (TFWA)
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Avoided (GHG)
Water Footprint Avoided (WFA)
Social Value
Social Impact Score (SIS)
Distribution Equity Index (DEI)
Community Activation Index (CAI)
Territorial Value
Total Active Nodes (TAN)
Territorial Coverage Rate (TCR)
Territorial Resilience Index (TRI)
Amber Value Index (AVI)
Is the first integrated metric to measure food systems as multidimensional value systems
Amber Economy Lab
Where the framework becomes real
The Amber Economy Lab is the implementation engine of the framework. It transforms Amber Economy from theory into real-world application by designing, testing, and scaling food value preservation systems
Design
System architecture
Value mapping
Stakeholder alignment
Implement
Pilot programs
Territory activation
Multi-actor coordination
Measure & Scale
Data infrastructure
Amber Economy indicators
System optimization
The Book: Food Impact Economy Toward an Amber Economy
A foundational work that introduces the Amber Economy as a new framework for transforming global food systems.
Preserving food value is not an option.
It is the foundation of resilient and sustainable food systems.
The creators behind the framework Amber Economy
Amber Economy is a framework created by Karen Lorena Brugés Solórzano and Mónica Colín de Velázquez, developed to transform global food systems through value preservation.
Karen Lorena
Brugés Solórzano
Co-Architect amber economy
