At the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2015, countries committed to Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3, calling for the world to cut food loss and waste in half by 2030. Now three years on, Champions 12.3 — a global coalition of sustainable food champions — is tracking progress toward this fast-approaching target and finding that the private sector has seized the opportunity to tackle food loss and waste.
The latest Champions 12.3 2018 Progress Report shows that companies are embracing food loss and waste reductions consistent with SDG Target 12.3, with nearly two-thirds of the world’s 50 largest food companies now participating in programs with a food loss and waste reduction target. The report also finds increasing evidence that companies and countries are measuring their loss and waste and publishing their results, and acting to put new policies and programs in place.
“In a world where one in nine people go hungry, it is a tragedy that a third of all food is lost or wasted. Today’s Champions 12.3 report highlights that great progress has been made but we need more countries and companies to step up,” said Dave Lewis, Chair of Champions 12.3 and Group Chief Executive of Tesco.
The progress report was launched today alongside three major announcements from governments and businesses around the world, at the start of the 73rd session of the UNGA this week in New York:
Leading food brands embrace targets and transparency to reduce food waste
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Lewis announced that 10 of the world’s largest food brands — including Mars, Unilever and General Mills — have not only set targets to halve their food waste by 2030, but also committed to publish the food waste data for their operations within the next 12 months, and take concrete steps to reduce food waste in the supply chain and in customers’ homes. Of the 10 brands, six have made this commitment for their global operations and four for their European or UK businesses. In addition, 27 of Tesco’s largest suppliers, responsible for over half of the retailer’s own label fresh food sales in the UK, have now published their food loss and waste data.
New website brings global food loss and waste data to fingertips
In a major advancement for food loss and waste data, Marcus Gover, Chief Executive of WRAP, announced the Food Waste Atlas, which simplifies finding quantified data that companies and governments can use when measuring their food loss and waste.
Food loss and waste data by food type, geography, or stage in the supply chain can now be found in one place. It also enables companies and governments to post their completed inventories in congruence with the “Food Loss and Waste Accounting and Reporting Standard.”
Developed by WRAP and World Resources Institute (WRI), with financial backing from the Walmart Foundation, the Food Waste Atlas already contains data from all parts of the supply chain and from over 190 countries. Its supporters include UN Environment, World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and Wageningen University & Research Centre.
“I am delighted to share the Food Waste Atlas with Champions 12.3 today,” Gover said. “Atlas is a hugely important tool to find and report data on food loss and waste to help companies and governments benchmark action globally. Closer to home, we are also unveiling the first Food Waste Reduction Roadmap. This is a UK-wide commitment by all major retailers and more than 50 large food businesses to ‘Target, Measure, Act’ and deliver their part in achieving SDG 12.3. Working with the IGD, WRAP has set out the key milestones UK businesses must reach, and together with Atlas, the Roadmap will be an important part of the mechanism to help us all win the food waste fight.”
Africa launches first strategy to halve post-harvest losses
Ambassador Josefa Sacko, the African Union Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, announced “The Continental Post-Harvest Loss Management Strategy,” a report that details a suite of innovations in policies, technology, market infrastructure, capacity building and investment needed to achieve a target for halving post-harvest losses in Africa by 2025. As the first-ever post-harvest loss strategy for the continent, it is a landmark for Africa and the Union’s 55 member states.
“For grains alone, the value of post-harvest losses in Africa are estimated to equal $4 billion per year, an amount that could help feed 48 million people,” Sacko said. “Tackling food loss is critical to Africa. Hence it is time for us to take action, and our new strategy is the foundation for that action.”
While they’re all in New York this week, it seems Champions 12.3 would do well to join forces with HPE and the World Economic Forum, who on Monday jointly launched Tech Impact 2030 — an open, cross-industry collaboration to find solutions to eliminate food insecurity; and sustainably, nutritiously and inclusively feed a growing population by 2030.
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Published Sep 24, 2018 11pm EDT / 8pm PDT / 4am BST / 5am CEST