Author: Written and directed by Giulia Marzetti
Produced by: Giulia Marzetti
Distribution year: 2022
Language: Italian
Giulia Marzetti, an engineer in the service of the European Commission, in the podcast Italian Sustainability addresses the topic of sustainability and innovation for sustainable development, reporting stories of Italian realities.
In this episode, together with Raul Saenz De Inestrillas, Innovation Manager at the World Food Program, we discuss sustainability and the methods through which food systems can be innovated.
According to Raul, to innovate food systems there are three distinct areas of intervention: Production, Logistics and Consumption.
Regarding Production, today we observe a mixed trend. On the one hand, climate change is having a significant impact on agricultural production, with a decrease in production in underdeveloped countries; on the other hand, there is overproduction of food in developed countries, with 14 percent of food being wasted.
Other problems are found in the area of Logistics. Currently, there are many countries that wish to have foreign food, but this leads to problems for both the environment and society. Instead, the goal should be to prefer products from one’s local area to improve sustainability and reduce environmental impact.
Finally, it is also crucial to talk about the aspect of Consumption. Since 2020, prices have increased by about 60 percent, making access to food difficult for many people. On the other hand, there is a huge per capita food waste at the household level, with nearly 67 kg per person per year.
Therefore, to innovate food systems and change these dynamics, Raul suggests developing new techniques and technologies to make food production more sustainable; developing sustainable and cutting-edge packaging; and improving communication between producer and consumer, encouraging the purchase of local and not foreign food.
According to Raul, these actions will result in a more sustainable food system that can meet the challenges of climate change and the growing global demand for food.
Listen to the podcast here:
