Today’s wastage is tomorrow’s shortage
The future of food is about making sure every single product at the retail level is consumed wisely by avoiding wastage. Although you don’t need to be perfect, you do need information. In the value chain, food waste begins at farms and continues up to retail stores. supply chain traceability software can bring revolutions in the food supply chain and cater to better product visibility and tracking the product life cycle throws a bird’s eye view of food waste and loss generated at various stages of production and distribution.
The International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste has been celebrated since 2019 to minimise food loss and waste. The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Nutrition Organization of the UN (FAO) collaborate jointly to support the Day’s observance. This Day also honours the crucial part that sustainable food plays in nutrition and food security.
Consequences of food wastage:
Approximately 14% of the food produced worldwide is wasted between harvest and retail. Additionally, an estimated 17% is wasted during retail and consumption. The loss and waste of food amount to up to 8-10% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. If greenhouse gas emissions are not controlled, extreme weather occurrences like droughts and floods will increase.
Where does food wastage occur???
Food loss occurs at the production, processing, and distribution levels, whereas food wastage occurs at consumption and retail foodservice sales. The ‘Food waste Index Report 2021’ shown below highlights that a majority of food wastage occurs at the household level.
Most individuals don’t comprehend the distinction between “use by” and “best before” dates, which causes them to throw away food unnecessarily since they don’t understand what they signify. This leads to significant wastage at the household level.
How do they affect people and the planet?
Food loss and waste significantly impact how agriculture affects climate change and other environmental issues like the usage of the land, water and loss of biodiversity. The disposal of food loss and waste in landfills also produces greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Food security and availability can be harmed by food loss and destruction, which can also raise the price of food.
What can be done?
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) defines food loss and waste as a decline in the amount or quality of food along the food chain. We are to collaborate throughout the food chain from farmer to consumer in order to reduce food loss and waste, improve the effective use of natural resources, combat climate change, and support nutrition and food security.
end to end traceability tool can play a pivotal role in addressing issues of food safety as well as decreasing food loss and waste. It is a method that enables the collection of accurate data, which have been recorded throughout different stages of the supply chain and can be tracked, recalled, and made available easily.
How can traceability be helpful?
A blockchain-integrated traceability system gives vivid detailing of food products and raw materials procured from suppliers/farmers and the spoilage that happens during harvesting and transportation. Identifying the supply chain actors and providing adequate training on sustainable practices is a simple yet effective way to prevent food loss.
Trace the food products at various stages, such as harvest, packaging, distribution and transportation, makes it possible to see precisely what happens to them from the farm all the way to the retail shops. This offers the chance to identify potential food waste hotspots and take preventative action. Traceability software allows inventory management, logistics, and supply chain mapping and showcases the quantity and quality of food products, making way for ESG compliance or ESG Management Tool.
A life-long commitment to right your wrongs
Practice the sustainable way of sourcing and consumption with food blockchain traceability software to productively transform unavoidable food waste into biogas instead of carelessly throwing it away in landfills. Food loss and waste have negative long-term effects, and the public needs to be made aware that it would be cumbersome for our environment to replenish its resources. It should be embedded in our values that would prevent food from being rotten and thrown away into the bins.
Let us endorse this year’s theme to curb the unhealthy practice of wasting food that is enough to feed a third of the hunger-stricken people in the world. Traceability software can play a role in sustainable food management and a joint effort by the government, farmers, retailers and consumers should mitigate food loss and waste. Nearly 1.3 trillion pounds (500 billion kilograms) of food are lost globally yearly, equal to about one-third of the total amount produced. Don’t you think this global crisis requires serious attention?