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The reason for reducing food waste must be made clearer
Up to a third of all the world’s food is discarded. Often completely unnecessarily. Although households are responsible for most food waste, there is much that can be done upstream to reduce post-consumer food waste.
“It’s a major problem that no one can solve alone,” says Maria Nehme O'Neill at RISE.
No one really wants to throw food. Despite this, estimates indicate that up to a third of all food grown in the world is discarded. In Sweden, households account for 70 percent of all food waste – some 33 kilos of food and drink per person per year.
About a third of all food grown is discarded
Karin Östergren, a senior researcher and project manager at RISE, describes food waste as a result of several actions taken and poorly considered decisions made at various stages of the food chain.
“Relatively small changes can have a major impact. If everyone were to save just a little more food than they do now, it would have an extremely positive impact on total food waste.”
She believes that households are affected by the attitudes of different food stakeholders towards food. Which products are offered? How are they marketed? Are the packages thoughtfully designed with reduced food waste in mind?
“Further upstream in the food chain, it’s very much about the financial aspects and making more informed decisions, while for consumers, it’s more about chance combined with a lack of knowledge and motivation.”
Food producers have the power to change behaviours
Internal measures and a deeper understanding of how and why food waste arises need to be put in place throughout the food chain. Maria Nehme O'Neill is a project manager at RISE:
“This just hasn’t been achieved at a higher level. Efforts to tackle food waste by means of national policies haven’t yet achieved what we want, quite simply. There are many stakeholders within the system who are doing a great deal of good and scaling things up with pleasing results, such as by means of Sweden’s national platform for reduced food waste. However, many of those working in the food supply chain need more operational and strategic tools to achieve the best, most effective changes.”
It’s still socially acceptable to waste food, which is something we need to discourage in every way we can.
Food waste still a part of everyday life
While food industry stakeholders need dedicated leadership and a willingness to invest time and effort, they also need support in the shape of action plans, so that they can visualise a common thread and see the actual value in reducing food waste.
“It’s still socially acceptable to waste food, which is something we need to discourage in every way we can. Discarding edible food should be a major loss for both the brand and its bottom line,” says Maria.
The reason for reducing food waste must be communicated
Changing attitudes towards food waste is a process that takes time. Maria says that public sector catering in Sweden has come a long way. However, the need to educate staff in both the public and the private sectors about why waste must be reduced remains, and this is something RISE is attempting to do via the initiatives Klimat 2030 (Climate 2030), Skolmatsakademin (The School Meals Academy) and Måltid Sverige (Meals Sweden).
“You can’t simply introduce a procedure and hope for the best; you need leadership and knowledge about all types of food wastage. When we hold courses for different stakeholders in the food industry, we want them to ask themselves why they’re doing it. It’s not simply a matter of brand and identity. It’s also a matter of assuming greater social responsibility as an organisation and contributing to the green transition. Today, many people are interested in supporting organisations that take this kind of responsibility for sustainability.”
Support within food waste for municipalities and companies
Maria works as a coordinator within initiatives that include Klimat 2030, which supports municipalities and companies wanting to accelerate their climate transition. Food waste is then included as a concrete climate goal.
“We even support small and medium-sized enterprises with limited resources of their own. We help them get the ball rolling and identify a starting point suited to their particular organisation. It’s almost impossible to develop a one-size-fits-all solution for such a complex problem.”
HOW TO JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST FOOD WASTE
- Identify where food waste arises in the value chain. By identifying where in the value chain food losses arise – and why – you can take action.
- All stakeholders within the food chain must contribute. Partnerships and networks are important pieces of the puzzle for being a forerunner.
- Follow the new waste ordinance. With a starting point in Sweden’s new waste ordinance (2020:614), IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute, RISE and industry stakeholders are looking into how to reduce food waste in the retail trade by means of sustainable ways of using food.
- Review the package design. Within the EU’s new MICROORC project, in which RISE is involved, packages will be refined.
- Do not prioritise by weight only. Food waste is about not only quantities, but also costs and greater environmental impact. RISE’s climate database can be used to compare different solutions for reducing food waste.
- Be innovative. Create tailored solutions to reduce food waste. Thanks to its broad technical expertise and experience within food, RISE can act as a sounding board.
WASTE, WASTAGE OR LOSS? THE CONCEPTS TO BE AWARE OF
There is widespread confusion about the concepts used within food waste. Here, we explain exactly what the most common terms mean.
Food waste. Biodegradable waste comprised primarily of food. Food waste is the term used in instructions for sorting waste. In this context, the term food waste also encompasses biodegradable kitchen waste such as paper bags and flowers.
Pre-consumer food waste. Food that has been produced as food but for various reasons does not move down the food chain and so is not eaten by humans.
Food wastage. All foods – both solid and liquid – that have become waste. Waste encompasses any item or substance that the holder wishes to discard or is required to discard. Comprised in part of avoidable food waste that could have been eaten or drunk, such as leftover food and surplus products that are discarded. This category also includes unavoidable waste, such as inedible shells, bones and coffee grounds.
Food loss. A term for the food waste that mainly arises further upstream in the food supply chain and that is not classified as food wastage. This could be vegetables or potatoes and bread that are used as animal feed rather than becoming food for humans.
