The global population is predicted to reach nine billion by 2050, so how will we feed this growing population? Changing demographics and diets mean that we will need to double food production which will be a challenge as resources and land are very much in demand.
Part of the answer to the global challenge of feeding people is to reduce and prevent food waste. A third of food produced for human consumption is wasted which is 1.3 billion tonnes, worth $750 billion. To grow the food that is wasted would take up an area the size of Mexico. If food waste was a country, it would be the third largest emitter of CO2 (eq) in the world. WRAP is tackling food waste in the UK by focusing on three areas: households, the retail and manufacturing sector, and the hospitality and food service industry.
UK households generate seven million tonnes of food waste a year which is worth £12.5 billion so the average family could save £60 a month by reducing food waste. WRAP’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign helps consumers to waste less food and save money by providing recipes, tips and advice about storing food and portion control as well as planning tools. Since 2007, avoidable household food waste has decreased by 21% which has saved consumers £13 billion.
Retail
The UK’s retail and manufacturing sector produces 4.2 million tonnes of food waste worth £4 billion. In 2005, WRAP launched the Courtauld Commitment – a voluntary agreement aimed at improving resource efficiency and reducing waste within the UK grocery sector which is now in its third phase. The sector has become more sustainable by making efficiencies down the supply chain which has also reduced costs. Over the four year period of Phase 1, 1.2 million tonnes of food and packaging waste was prevented which has saved £1.8 billion and 3.3 million tonnes of CO2 (eq). A total of 1.7 million tonnes of waste was reduced through the influence of Phase 2 which is worth £3.1 billion and a reduction of 4.8 million tonnes of CO2e. A number of speakers at the Waste-Works event are from companies that are signatories of the Courtauld Commitment, such as Marks and Spencer, Nestlé and Tesco, and will be sharing best practice as well as how they have reduced waste.
Similarly for the hospitality and food service industry, WRAP launched the Hospitality and Food Service Agreement (HaFSA) in 2012 to reduce waste and increase recycling in the sector. At the time of the launch, the industry was generating one million tonnes of food waste each year in the UK at a cost of £2.5 billion or approximately £10,000 per business. In 2013, there was a 2.5% reduction of waste and an estimated 23% increase in the amount of surplus food being sent for redistribution. The collective cost saving made in 2013 from reducing food waste has been estimated at £10 million.
However, food waste is a global issue so we shouldn’t just focus our efforts on the UK. As a country, we import lots of food from the rest of the world so we should help these countries tackle food waste too. As the global population grows and resources become more stretched, we will have to produce more food from less land. This will be possible if we develop more sustainable methods of food production, think across the supply chain and design products efficiently to minimise waste.
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