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Reducing food waste is no pipe dream Text and adaptation by Dr. Miguel Merino-Pacheco, based on a presentation by Joost Snels, Wageningen Food and Biobased Research. The Netherlands; at the Amsterdam Produce Show, November 2016
Miguel Merino-Pacheco mittelmeer@gmail.com
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Food waste
Reducing food waste is no pipe dream Text and adaptation by Dr. Miguel MerinoPacheco, based on a presentation by Joost Snels, Wageningen Food and Biobased Research – The Netherlands; at the Amsterdam Produce Show, November 2016
Index
Miguel Merino-Pacheco Dr. Ingeniero Agrónomo
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Introduction
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Growing food demand
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Why do all those losses
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happens?
mittelmeer@gmail.com ▪
Doktor agr.sc. Consultor independiente en mercados agroalimentarios y comunicación especializada. Desde 2012 radicado en la R. F. de Alemania.
Biblioteca Horticultura
There are, however, some
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solutions at hand. ▪
Mention us ………………………
http://www.bibliotecahorticultura.com
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Introduction Due to the amounts involved, food waste is today one of the world´s biggest problems. It is a problem that cannot be ignored. To face this issue is a collective job, a difficult one, but a job that can be done. Together with climate change and growth of world population, food waste is a basic component of the food security problem. In the last ten years, world temperature average has increased in 0.15 to 0.20 º C per year. And during the last three decades, food prices have increased in 6.4%. The influence on agricultural area and on water availability for agriculture is even more dramatic, with water stress expected to increase radically within 25 years in North Africa, Southern Europe the Southern axis of Asia – down to the Pacific shores – and in important areas of North and South America. Needless to say, no significant agricultural area in the world would be excluded from this process. Growing food demand In 2050, world population will reach 10.000 million people. To feed that population, 70% more food is needed. Food consumption patterns are also changing across the world. The general tendency is towards higher consumption of meat and processed food: A more detailed perspective looks like this: ▪
Carbohydrates build the nucleus of diet in countries in a low development stage (Sub-Saharan Africa). It is a “subsistence diet”.
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Mass food markets are found in India, China, Latin America. They include a wide array of foods (dairy, meat, fish, fresh fruit, juices, vegetables).
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Food consumption in Eastern Europe is characterized by convenience and prepared meals. Consumers increase their demand after safe, high quality, healthy food. Quality and hygiene are already on demand.
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In highly developed countries (North America, Western Europe, Japan, Australia) consumers ask for increasingly processed foods. Diet and organic foods build an important fraction of the food intake. Tendency still growing.
Presently, 654 million tons of food are produced each year in the world. And 205 million tons end in the garbage bin. An astonishing 31.3%!! Those losses happen at different stages between production and consumption. And there are important differences between developed and developing countries regarding in which stages those losses are most likely to be found.
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In developing countries, between 26 and 40% of the losses happen at pre-harvest.10 to 50 % of the losses are to be found in harvesting and processing, in secondary processing –stage leading to processed food –and during retail. During consumption losses are comparatively small, between 0 and 10%. In industrial countries, 12 to 21 % of the losses happen during harvesting and processing, 1 to 10% is lost in secondary processing, 2 to 26% in retail and 3 to 40% at the consumption stage. Considering the European Union (28), 88 million tons (₏143.000.000.000) are wasted every year. Households are responsible for 53% of the losses, processing for 19% food services for 12%, production for 11 % and wholesale and retail for 5%. The value of the lost food is, however overstated. If such an amount of lost food were available, the prices would have been much lower. This is an aspect to be considered from the point of view of producers, traders and consumers.
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Food waste
In The Netherlands, 14% of the food bought ends up in the bin. About 50 kg and more than €150 / person / year. 25 to 40% of the total waste of the Dutch households is food. But not only wasted food is the problem. A huge amount of resources is used to produce food that is never eaten. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, following resources are consumed in the process of producing food in the US. ▪
50 % of the US land is used in agriculture
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And also 80% of the fresh water
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40% of all food is wasted
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16 % of the methane emissions originates in landfills
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With this numbers, some US$165.000 million are wasted yearly.
Why do all those losses happen? In developed countries, some reasons are: production errors, incorrect packaging, cold chain interruption, logistic. Better purchasing and food use plan by consumers, taking into account expiration date, would increase consumption efficiency. Overproduction, incorrect pricing, lack of control mechanisms and restrictions imposed by legislation also play a role. Very often, responsibility for losses along the logistic chain and beyond is not clearly defined.
There are, however, some solutions at hand. At household level, better consumption planning is a must. Portion size must be better estimated, and availability of smaller portions in stores (single households) also help. Better information about expiration dates is important. Some retailers are also developing systems to avoid consumer´s waste .Among them, Albert Heijn, Lidl and Bag&Buy. In this last one, consumers buy unpackaged products in the amount they need. Albert Heijn, Spar, Plus and Metro have “apps” that connect products with a short shelf life with consumers. For out of home consumption, some restaurants are increasing the awareness of their customers regarding the problem. ShabuShabu, a Japanese sushi restaurant in The Netherlands, already charges for not consumed food units. Technology, under the form of display strategy or reuse, also helps.
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Regarding large food retailers, better transparency, longer shelf life and better packaging and an ordering system also help to reduce waste. Longer shelf life is related to innovative packaging and mild use of preservation systems. Re-using surpluses in the food supply chain are already initiated. Many Dutch retailers participate in different foodbank initiatives. Plus Retail – a Dutch retailer with more than 250 outlets - and Hutten Catering are reusing surplus from retail stores in new products. Food waste is more than just wasting food: it appeals to the world´s biggest problems, like climate change, growing world population and food security. The numbers related to food waste are massive and the issue cannot be ignored. But reducing food waste is not a “one man´s job”. The big issues are related to issues found also in big food chain challenges. Reducing food waste is not ease, but it can be done.
Mention us MERINO-PACHECO, Miguel. (2017). Reducing food waste is no pipe dream [PDF file]. Valencia. Biblioteca Horticultura. Retrieved from http://publicaciones.poscosecha.com/es/home/338-reducing-food-waste-is-nopipe-dream.html#
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