The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation has invited everyone around the world to observe the First International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW) on 29 September 2020.
This event will make a clear call to action for both the public and the private sectors to bolster efforts to reduce food loss and waste toward ensuring food security for all and particularly the most vulnerable.
When food is lost or wasted all the resources that were used to produce this food – including water, land, energy, labour, and capital – go to waste.
Also, disposing food waste in landfills leads to greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change.
Actions are required globally and locally to maximise the use of the food we produce. The introduction of technologies, innovative solutions (including e-commerce platforms for marketing, retractable mobile food processing systems), new ways of working, and good practices to manage food quality and reduce food loss and waste are key to implementing this transformative change.
Reducing food loss and waste requires the attention and actions of all – from food producers, to food supply chain stakeholders, to food industries, retailers and consumers.
According to the Australian National Food Waste Baseline, 2.5 million tonnes (34 per cent of the total) of food waste was created in our homes, 2.3 million tonnes (31 per cent) in primary production, and 1.8 million tonnes (25 per cent) in the manufacturing sector. Australians recycled 1.2 million tonnes of food waste, recovered 2.9 million tonnes through alternative uses for food waste and disposed of 3.2 million tonnes.
Australian Institute of Packaging executive director Nerida Kelton MAIP said: “With Australia producing 7.3 million tonnes of food waste across the supply and consumption chain and a federal government National Food Waste Strategy to halve food waste that goes to landfill by 2030 now is the time for packaging technologists to review pack designs that could minimise food waste and losses.”
Kelton said packaging plays an important role in preventing and minimising food waste.
“The primary purpose of packaging is to contain, protect, preserve, promote and communicate, handle and transport and provide convenience for a product; all the while ensuring the safe delivery of food to the consumer,” Kelton said.
“Without adequate packaging design features and fit-for-purpose packaging food can potentially be wasted all the way through the supply chain to the consumer. By modifying packaging designs and ensuring that save food packaging guidelines are followed food waste and loss can be minimised.”
Kelton said AIP has been working with the Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre on guidelines to help packaging technologists design save-food packaging while at the same time meeting global sustainable packaging targets.
“The implementation of save-food packaging design criteria and communication material will lead to better packaging design, material and format selection to assist retail, food service and consumers to minimise and prevent food waste.” Kelton said.
AIP Save Food Packaging Consortium members also provided their views on the importance of International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste Day.
UPM Raflatac sustainability specialist Carol Kilcullen-Lawrence FAIP, CPP said there is a surprising number of people in Australia who experience food insecurity – not knowing where their next meal will come from.
“Imagine trying to feed a family or being a child going to school hungry. We all saw how quickly many people became concerned about supply chains being affected in the first Covid-19 surge and the resulting panic buying,” Kilcullen-Lawrence said.
“As packaging professionals lets come together to support the work that is being done to preserve food, by extension of shelf life for example and in doing so keeping more food in market to reach distribution channels for the needy, not just in Australia, as we have the opportunity to influence such packaging innovation globally.”
AIP representative on the APCO Board Keith Chessell FAIP said although Australia is a net exporter of food, the 29 September day will remind us of the responsibility we all have to reduce the high levels of food loss and waste.
“In the middle of this Covid pandemic, where people’s health and lives have been dramatically impacted, we need to also recognise that there is a growing number of people affected by hunger, which requires our immediate action to reduce the tonnes of edible food that is lost and/or wasted every day,” Chessell said.
“The AIP has been playing their part in the Australian National Food Waste Reduction targets and the Fight Food Waste CRC since 2017. The AIP Project team has focused their activity on assisting packaging and manufacturing companies to understand the important role they can play in the designing of their products and packaging to ensure food isn’t wasted. Secondary and tertiary packaging design are key factors to reducing food waste by protecting the product in the handling and distribution. Primary packaging design provides the consumers with storage, handling information along with user and portion convenience to ensure the food is spoiled or wasted.”
Result Packaging general manager Michael Dosser MAIP said: “As a packaging and technology solutions provider, we play an important role in championing innovations in the packaging space that foster sustainability and address food wastage. There has never been a more exciting time in our industry, we actually have the tools, it’s all about how we apply them. Success has been achieved with much more to come, sooner than you think.”
Sealed Air sustainability director Alan Adams MAIP said next to water, food is the most important life-giving resource for all of us.
“Yet we waste so much food for so many reasons. Food waste is possibly the greatest opportunity for sustainable action because we can all make a difference today, a difference in business by choosing to make food waste prevention a design priority, and a difference in our personal lives and homes with everyday actions,” Adams said.
“We can improve lives, reduce costs of living and improve our environment by reducing food waste. It is the right thing to do, and it just feels good to save food, recover food and stop being wasteful.”
John Bigley MAIP, Chief Executive Officer, Zipform Packaging
Zipform Packaging CEO Joh Bigley said his company is delighted to see the inaugural IDAAFLW take place.
“How appropriate it is that it is scheduled in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has certainly raised our awareness of the importance behind food supply chain robustness,” Bigley said.
“Never has the link between food security and packaging been stronger in focus and when food security is compromised loss or waste will of course follow. As a project contributor within the Fight Food Waste CRC’s AIP-led project ‘Save Food Packaging Criteria and Framework’ we see this day as incredibly important in raising awareness about food loss and waste and hopefully it will drive all of us to reflect on this global issue and how we can, both personally and professionally, help address this huge challenge.”
The AIP encourages everyone to try and implement a few easy tips to minimise food waste and share your actions on the 29 of September and use the hashtags #Australianinstituteofpackaging and #FLWDay.
If you would like to better understand Save Food Packaging Design and how to use the guidelines, contact the AIP today.
http://aipack.com.au/about-us/fight-food-waste/
