As many in our industry convene to address the issue of how to feed 2 billion more people by 2050, much of that conversation is related to increasing food production. But increasing production cannot be the sole solution. Reducing waste and improving yield of already grown crops and animals through more effective and efficient processing, packaging, storage, transportation and distribution will also be key to solving the issue of food access for the future.
One of the first tasks of the FWRA was to gain better understanding of the metrics around food waste in the United States. We commissioned a study by BSR to explore available public data to help us understand the landscape of the problem. The report of this first study is published on the FWRA website. Overall findings indicate that approximately 80 billion pounds of food is discarded in US landfills each year. The pie chart to the right is an estimate of where those food losses are occurring. BSR estimates that while consumer and residential waste represent the largest sources of food waste, FWRA members nonetheless have the opportunity to have a significant impact, with restaurants accounting for 37%, manufacturers accounting for 3%, and retailers accounting for 2% of food waste. The other piece of the pie, the Institutional sector, includes hospitals, schools, hotels and a wide variety of facilities that could benefit from many of the recommendations being made in this publication.
The guide is intended to educate and elevate the issue of food waste to a broader audience, to provide some tools and experience
from peer companies to help others get started and to be a catalyst for changing the social acceptability of wasted food.
For further reading you can find the ‘TOOLKIT BEST PRACTICES & EMERGING SOLUTIONS’ here.
About the Food Waste Reduction Alliance
The Food Waste Reduction Alliance is a three-year initiative focused on reducing food waste, particularly the food that never reaches the consumer. The effort, launched in 2011 by the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the Food Marketing Institute and the National Restaurant Association, aims to increase donations to food banks and decrease the amount of food sent to landfills. The Alliance brings together the manufacturing, retail, and restaurant industries, as well as expert partners from the anti-hunger and waste management sectors to tackle one of our biggest challenges in the United States. More than 30 companies have joined the effort and are actively seeking solutions to this challenge.
Source: Food Waste Reduction Alliance