Simple actions by consumers and food retailers can dramatically cut the 1.3 billion tons of food lost or wasted each year, according to a new campaign launched last week by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and partners.
The Think.Eat.Save. Reduce Your Foodprint campaign is in support of the SAVE FOOD Initiative to reduce food loss and waste along the entire chain of food production and consumption. The new campaign specifically targets food wasted by consumers, retailers and the hospitality industry.
The campaign harnesses the expertise of organizations such as WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme), Feeding the 5,000 and other partners, including national governments.
Worldwide, about one-third of all food produced, worth around $1 trillion, gets lost or wasted in food production and consumption systems, according to data released by FAO. Food loss occurs mostly at the production stages — harvesting, processing and distribution — while food waste typically takes place at the retailer and consumer end of the food-supply chain.
Think.Eat.Save. aims to accelerate action and provide a global vision and information-sharing portal for diverse initiatives currently underway around the world. The portal provides simple tips to consumers and retailers, will allow users to make food waste pledges, and provides a platform for those running campaigns to exchange ideas.
"In a world of seven billion people, set to grow to nine billion by 2050, wasting food makes no sense — economically, environmentally and ethically," said UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.
"Aside from the cost implications, all the land, water, fertilizers and labour needed to grow that food is wasted — not to mention the generation of greenhouse gas emissions produced by food decomposing on landfill and the transport of food that is ultimately thrown away," he added. "To bring about the vision of a truly sustainable world, we need a transformation in the way we produce and consume our natural resources."
Part of the trigger for the campaign was the outcome of the Rio+20 Summit in June 2012, in which Heads of State and governments gave the go-ahead for a 10-Year Framework of Programmes for Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Patterns. Developing an SCP program for the food sector must be a vital element of this framework, given the need to sustain the world's food production base, reduce associated environmental impacts, and feed a growing human population.
"There can be no other area that is perhaps so emblematic of the opportunities for a far more resource-efficient and sustainable world — and there is no other issue that can unite North and South and consumers and producers everywhere in common cause," said Mr. Steiner.
According to FAO, roughly 95 percent of food loss and waste in developing countries are unintentional losses at early stages of the food supply chain due to financial, managerial and technical limitations in harvesting techniques; storage and cooling facilities in difficult climatic conditions; infrastructure; packaging and marketing systems.
However, in the developed world, the end of the chain is far more significant. At the food manufacturing and retail levels, large quantities of food are wasted due to inefficient practices, quality standards that over-emphasize appearance, confusion over date labels, and consumers being quick to throw away edible food due to over-buying, inappropriate storage and preparing meals that are too large.
Per-capita waste by consumers is between 95 and 115 kg a year in Europe and North America/Oceania, while consumers in sub-Saharan Africa, south and south-eastern Asia each throw away only 6 to 11 kg a year.
According to WRAP, the average UK family could save £680 per year ($1,090) and the UK hospitality sector could save £724 million ($1.2 billion) per year by tackling food waste.
"In the UK, we have shown how tackling food waste through engaging with consumers, and establishing collective agreement with retailers and brands, reduces environmental pressures and aids economic growth," said Dr. Liz Goodwin, CEO of WRAP. "With a rising population, even more pressure is going to be put on resources, and we are excited to be a partner in UNEP and FAO's Think. Eat. Save. campaign, which is a great start to tackling food waste on a global scale."
In related news, the Sustainable Restaurants Association (SRA) has launched a new campaign urging restaurants to cut down on an average of 21 tons of food waste a year, which is nearly fives times as much per meal as the average UK household.
@Bart_King is a freelance writer and communications consultant.
Get the latest insights, trends, and innovations to help position yourself at the forefront of sustainable business leadership—delivered straight to your inbox.
Bart King is the founder and principal at New Growth Communications. He specializes in helping sustainability leaders develop thought leadership content and strategy
Published Jan 28, 2013 2pm EST / 11am PST / 7pm GMT / 8pm CET