PW-ACTUA Food wastage - ‘Every Crumb Counts’ One of the focal points of government authorities at regional, national and worldwide levels - within the scope of sustainability - is food wastage. ‘Food wastage is defined here as each food product destined for human consumption that hasn’t ended up in our stomachs’, Nele Cattoor of Belgapom explains. Within the framework of Interpom 2014, the Belgian trade organisation discusses sustainability in the potato chain at great length. Participants of the trade show are requested to report their sustainable innovations so that a sustainable route can be organised at the show. ‘A BioIntelligence study carried out in 2010 shows that 90 million tons of food is thrown away annually, which boils down to 180 kg per person in the 27 EU countries. If the policy is not changed, this number will increase to 126 million tons in 2020. At the same time, 43 million people are suffering from hunger in Europe. Worldwide, the figures are not very much better. According to the FAO (Food & Agricultural Organisation) 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted, which is roughly 30% of the agricultural acreage. To produce all this wasted food, 3.3 billion tons of greenhouse gas was formed and 250 km3 of water was necessary (or all the water that annually flows through the river Volga), while 925 million people are suffering from hunger. In order to feed a 9 billion world population in 2050, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) and the FAO, 60 percent more food will be necessary or 1 billion tons of cereal and 200 million tons of meat. If we analyse the FAO study, we see that the potato is in the group of highest food wastage. In a study carried out by Wageningen University in 2013, and commissioned by the European Commission, the joint potato, vegetable and fruit group also appears to be the biggest contributor to food wastage. That same study also calculated that a surface as big as Belgium could be saved if we all halved the amount of food we’re wasting now. This would also add 156 euros to the income of every family! Consequently, food wastage is a complex problem with ethical, environmental, but also economical sides to it. Europe INTERP M PR MEURS 2 14 23 - 24 - 25 NOV. KORTRIJK XPO (B) An initiative of Belgapom included food wastage in its roadmap to a resource-efficient Europe, with the objective of reducing food wastage by 50 percent by 2020. A number of government authorities have started their own projects, reduction objectives, studies, etc. With so much activity at policy level, the food chain has to contribute as well, which is why, at the end of June 2013, various partners from the European food chain showed and confirmed their joint intention to take action against food wastage. This took place during the launch of ‘Every Crumb Counts’ in the presence of representatives of the European Parliament, the European Commission, several NGOs and the industry. A food wastage toolkit followed and, in April 2014, the EU policymakers were presented with 32 policy recommendations in the hope of a more coherent attitude. However, every professional in the potato sector knows that each threat is also an opportunity! In France, some retailers cleverly use food wastage for offering ‘bad potatoes, vegetables and fruit’ at lower prices. Meanwhile, this has become so popular that 150 shops have signed up. The Belgian retailer Delhaize started the ‘Zero Food Waste’ initiative, which, via partners, distributes unsalable food to groups of people with limited means. In this way, you create good marketing and the transport costs are mostly eliminated. Social innovation projects are booming, new products are being launched, in short, a creative spirit sees sustainable opportunities’, Cattoor explains. ● Participants of the trade show Interpom requested to report their sustainable innovations. Potato World 2014 • number 3 13 Pagina 12
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