Food waste: the ways to reduce it consistently

First do not waste. Not only for a matter of environmental and social responsibility, but also economic. In a period in which the themes of the sustainability are at the center of the public debate, it is especially worth reading the results of a branded report McKinsey by title “Reducing food loss: What grocery retailers and manufacturers can do”.

The damage of waste

According to the study, the food that is lost or wasted every year weighs a good 620 billion euros, no less than a third of what is produced every year. This while a large part of the planet has to deal with the scourge of poverty, with difficult access to food. In fact, 3.1 billion people (out of 7.8 billion inhabitants of the Earth) are in a state of food insecurity and 828 million who suffer from hunger, according to data published by the FAO on the occasion of the third world awareness day on food waste. This is while demographic projections highlight the need to increase agricultural production to feed a growing world population.

Among the most wasted products stand out fruit and vegetables And cerealsresponsible for most of the losses, while meat does not go beyond 3% total and dairy products stand a few decimal places higher.

The losses are attributable to three factors, which affect approximately the same extent: in the phase of collectedwith the production surpluses; the edible food, but not in accordance with customer specifications; finally the inedible portion.

Where to intervene

The report points out that roughly half of food waste occurs upstream of the supply chain (with the peak that is reached among tomatoes), i.e. during harvesting, during handling and post-harvest storage or during processing.

The cost of waste is actually even higher than the direct effectsgiven that it is necessary to consider the consumption of water connected to waste and the related greenhouse gas emissions.

That’s why the waste reduction it should be at the top of global concerns, involving both institutions, private operators and citizens. Analysts underline that “we are facing a real emergency, economic and social”, but they also point out that there is room to intervene and reduce waste by up to 70%.

The role of operators

Food producers and retailers can play a crucial role: thanks to their positioning at the center of the supply chain, they could promote a collaborative process to reuse foods that would otherwise be wasted, destining them for food or alternative uses, such as biomass or feed for food. . Given a widespread commitment on the part of operators, the report underlines, they could be reduce CO2 emissions up to almost 10%.

The most effective actions for reduce waste, the study still reads, require collaboration between manufacturers, retailers and suppliers through long-term planning. An approach necessary to avoid spot, and therefore non-structural, commitments.