The pact between large retailers and branded products to reduce food waste is born. A project of Italia Circolare in collaboration with the University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo and Retail Institute Italy
By Paul Marcesini
The FAO defines food waste as “the decrease in the quantity or quality of food resulting from the decisions and actions of retailers, food services and consumers.” Again the FAO estimates that globally more than one-third of the world’s produced food is lost or wasted. About 14 percent during production and processing, are the “food losses”, 17 percent during sales and consumption processes, the “food waste”. Especially 11% from households in the household. According to WWF, the percentage rises to 40%, meaning that 2.5 billion tons of food is wasted every year, 80,000 kg of food per second. UNEP has certified that 1.4 billion tons of food waste is generated at the processing, distribution, retail, food services and household levels.
According to the United Nations Environment Program’s Food Waste Index report, estimates of consumer (household and food service) food waste have been significantly underestimated. Globally, total food waste generated in retail and consumer sales is estimated at 121 kg per capita, with 61 percent coming from households, 26 percent from food service and 13 percent from retail. In Europe 59 million tons of food waste (131 kg/inhabitant) is generated annually with the market value estimated at 132 billion euros. According to Eurostat, 10% of the food made available to EU consumers (retail, food service and households) is wasted.
NOT wasting food means NOT wasting the planet’s resources
The Barilla Center for Food Nutrition (BCFN) Foundation’s Food Sustainability Index correlates the sustainability of the food system of 67 countries with income data and also assesses sustainability prospects based on actions to reduce food loss and food waste rates.
With agricultural activities responsible for 30 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, it is absolutely essential that strategies related to combating climate change also include profound interventions at the level of food system management and reduction of waste as it is doubly responsible for these emissions, both for those related to the production of food commodities and those related to their management or destruction.
Reducing food waste is for food security, for nutritional sustainability, for the well-being of the planet.
Half of the habitable land on planet Earth is used for agricultural cultivation, 11.5 % of the land, 1.4 billion hectares of agricultural land produce food that will not be used. 30 percent of the world’s total energy consumption is related to the food sector, Food loss accounts for 10 percent of the total global greenhouse gases, 25 percent of thefresh water used each year goes to food that is not consumed. All these factors impact the environment, make the climate unstable, expose us to extreme weather events such as droughts and floods, negatively impact crops, reduce the nutritional quality of crops, cause supply chain disruptions, and threaten food security. Reducing or avoiding food waste helps us have a positive impact on the environment. NOT wasting food means NOT wasting the planet’s resources.Waste Watcher International recalls how on the list of the world’s most wasted products are fruits and vegetables.
According to Coldiretti , 35 percent of the population will cut waste by adopting food-saving solutions at home and recover what is left on the table. Today, an average of about 67 kg of food per inhabitant is thrown away in the homes of Italians every year. We are more responsible than the French who waste 85 kg and the Germans 75 kg. Conai in 2022 confirmed that nearly 1 in 2 Italians are willing to pay up to 5 percent more for packaging capable of preserving a food product longer. Consumers say they want to reduce food waste. This is why they are calling for food education in schools and for citizens, next-generation packaging that extends the life of products, innovative labels capable of offering easily readable directions and useful advice, smaller packages, more frequent shopping for fresh food, and better organization of food in the refrigerator and pantry by expiration date, but also to raise awareness of the climatic and economic damage of food waste, to adopt a healthier and more sustainable diet, and to want to reuse leftovers and recycle food waste.
The Paris Agenda launched by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 adopted the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. Goal number 12 Ensure sustainable patterns of production and consumption, calls for halving per capita food waste at the retail and consumer level and reducing food losses along supply and production chains. The European Union has thus defined the sustainable development on food waste that its member states are committed to achieve. And the European Commission calls on all actors in the food chain to define the measures necessary to achieve the sustainable development goals on food waste and share best practices and achievements to define, enhance and communicate the new economics of production-consumption relations to help combat food waste.
Food is a common good that must be respected, shared, loved
The Pact Against Food Waste, nonsprecoilcibo.it invites Modern Distribution brands and insignias to make a pact to limit all forms of household waste by helping households activate concrete and conscious actions through the communication of useful tips and correct service information. Communicate and inform by providing data, knowledge, awareness and useful tools to achieve the goals of reducing food waste contributes, carbon emissions and climate change risks. The project will involve as a priority all production, processing and distribution companies in the food and beverage sector, which through nonsprecoilcibo.it will share strategies or tips to combat food waste. The project will also involve experiences from the third sector, innovative start-ups, universities, research and development centers, including through project partnerships. The project is primarily aimed at the 58 million Italians who make their food choices every week within the 26,800 points of sale of Modern Distribution in Italy. Aware customers and citizens who want to acquire knowledge and skills on food waste reduction tools. Indirect beneficiary is the environment. Reducing or avoiding food waste helps us to have a positive and sustainable impact on the ecosystem, biodiversity, and combating the water crisis.
Fighting food waste means giving new social, cultural and economic value to food.
