Here’s an interesting thought for your next dinner conversation. I dare you to raise it just as little Johnny throws his untouched veges in the bin.
Given the fact that many resources are becoming scarce around the world, is it perhaps more effective to reduce food losses than to increase food production? And was your grandma right when she mentioned “the poor children in Africa” every time you refused to eat your dinner?
New studies from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations show that saving food is indeed more efficient than increasing food production and innovative packaging has a central role to play here. The study results will be presented at the SAVE FOOD congress in Düsseldorf this month.
Robert van Otterdijk, FAO officer for SAVE FOOD explains: “Food commodities are traded at an international market, and waste in one part of the world affects prices in other parts of the world. When food is thrown away in rich countries this affects the availability of food in poor countries.” He adds: “Since our natural resources such as land, water, and energy are limited, it is more effective to reduce food losses than to increase production.”
The aim of these studies is to gain further knowledge that will hopefully help to achieve resource-conserving global food security. A special exhibition staged within the leading world trade fair Interpack this month will also focus on global food losses, highlighting the contributions packaging can make towards safeguarding foods. To this end, the congress is bringing together stakeholders from the food and packaging industries, retail, politics, administration, research and NGOs.
Multinationals such as Nestlé and METRO will report on the challenges the food and retail industries will face. New ways to change the “throw-away” mindset of consumers will be discussed, the Mayor of Mumbai has been invited to speak on the topic of food supplies in megacities, and best practices will be presented by experts from Danone and Bosch.
What a splendid idea. I look forward to hearing more about it all later this month!
But let’s face it, change starts at home. Act locally, think globally.
So what are we doing to minimise food wastage in our households, in our supply chains and in our stores?
Time to have that talk with little Johnny . . .
Tamara Rubanowski, editor@fmcg.co.nz
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When my eldest daughter was about ten years old and going through a fussy about food stage and was refusing to eat her dinner I pointed out to her that she was very fortunate because there were children in India starving. My daughter responded by telling me to send her dinner to them. That was twenty five years ago and I suspect that little Johnny would respond the same way.
A nice and noble sentiment but…..
Thanks for your interest Trevor. “Little Johnny” was just a metaphor – our readers are in the FMCG market sector and clearly we still have food wastage problems in our supply chains and in our stores to consider . . .