Food waste is a major issue for the world. It impacts the environment, as well as the economy and, as the global population continues to grow, the future of food security.
“Food loss and waste undermine the sustainability of our food systems,” says a spokesperson for the United Nations (UN). “When food is lost or wasted, all the resources that were used to produce this food – including water, land, energy, labour and capital – go to waste. In addition, the disposal of food loss and waste in landfills leads to greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change. Food loss and waste can also negatively impact food security and food availability and contribute to increasing the cost of food.”
In fact, food waste is extremely costly, with the World Food Programme (WFP) estimating the total cost of food loss and waste to be around one trillion USD annually. This places a huge strain on the global economy.
So, how much food is actually being wasted? Well, the figures paint a fairly damning picture, with the UN estimating around 13% of food produced globally is lost between harvest and retail, and a further 17% is wasted in households, food service and retail.
“I think it’s a lot more serious than people realise,” said Sharon Bligh, director of Health and Sustainability at the Consumer Goods Forum, during FoodNavigator’s Climate Smart Summit. “1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted globally.”
In short, it’s a massive problem and one the world has no choice but to find a solution to. So, how can suppliers, manufacturers and retailers reduce food waste?
How can suppliers reduce food waste?
While the issue has long been overlooked, and progress to tackle it remains slow, the industry is now taking steps to mitigate the problem of food waste.
“There’s an industry-wide agreement on the mantra of Target, Measure, Act, and that’s really something that we’re driving at the Consumer Goods Forum, along with multiple organisations around the world,” said Bligh. “You really do need to measure to understand where the waste is happening along the supply chain from farm to fork.”
Furthermore, the industry has produced what it refers to as its ‘baseline’, to fully understand the scale of the problem across the industry.
“We know our numbers,” says Bligh. “So, we know and own the amount of food waste we have as a global coalition, and we know and understand where our problems are.”
And with that information, the food industry is able to target the problems directly.
“We worked recently with the WWF,” says Bligh. “And together we worked with multiple growers and retailers, across different regions, getting an understanding of the loss on farms. And then we created a tool to help calculate where that waste was happening.”
Once the farmers could identify where the problem areas were, they could address them. Moreover, foods which would have previously been discarded as waste, owing to differences in appearance or flavour, were saved.
“We looked at how products could be marketed in different ways, in different formats,” says Bligh.
But more than that, they were also able to identify how the farms could increase their yields. This meant that not only was the supplier avoiding waste, they were also improving production – win win!
How can manufacturers reduce food waste?
Some of the biggest food manufacturers in the business are now approaching the problem of food waste as a priority.
“We are committed to reducing food waste across our operations and have been working hard to deliver on this for a number of years,” a spokesperson for Mondelēz International told FoodNavigator.
Furthermore, the company is taking a more complete approach to the problem, looking at food waste across all areas of the company, rather than focusing on one single issue.
“Across our company-owned manufacturing sites, our global standard helps us to focus on several actions that help us reduce and eliminate food waste, including examples such as conducting site waste inventory and mass balance to identify sources and quantify food waste, setting annual site-specific objectives and targets to reduce food waste and food waste reduction roadmaps.”
And this approach is being reflected across the food industry, with The Kraft Heinz Company also tackling the problem in all divisions.
“We think about waste holistically,” said a spokesperson for Kraft Heinz. “To source, produce, and package food and beverage products requires several inputs and outputs related to ingredients and byproducts, material flows, and end-of-life packaging considerations. When we think about materials and food-related flows, detailed waste evaluations help us identify where we can ‘prevent, reduce, repurpose, and recycle.’ In fact, our owned global manufacturing facilities divert more than 90 percent of our solid waste to recycling or byproducts usage.”
One major use of food waste, being utilised by some factories, is into animal feed as part of the circular economy.
“All byproducts from the production process (such as soy cake and soy residue) are diverted to the animal feed industry,” said a spokesperson from Kraft Heinz on its facility in Pasuruan, Indonesia.
And, perhaps most importantly, animal welfare organisations support this practice.
“Food-waste-to-feed pathways can provide potential benefits, particularly to alleviate land-use,” said a spokesperson for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Furthermore, it can save food manufacturers money in disposal costs.
“Turning wasted food into animal feed can save farmers and companies money as it can be cheaper than hauling wasted food to a landfill,” said a spokesperson for the US Environmental Protection Agency. “Companies can also provide food scraps to producers that make animal or pet food. There are many opportunities to feed animals, help the environment and reduce costs.”
How can retailers reduce food waste?
Retailers are in the unique position of having access to consumers and can therefore influence their behaviours.
“Retailers have an exceptional role and an exceptional responsibility in terms of food waste along the value chains because they are close to consumers and that whole area of household waste, which is often underestimated across value chains” said the Consumer Goods Forum’s Bligh. “Retailers are encouraging consumers to cut their household waste through in-store and online schemes. They really are stepping up to help reduce food waste.”