FAO urges food system transformation, food waste target failure ignites calls for mandatory reporting

25 Sep 2019 --- The food industry needs to do more to support healthy foods and to reduce food loss and waste throughout the farm-to-fork cycle, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Director-General. Businesses have a critical role in achieving food security and nutrition as they influence the production, processing, retail and marketing of food, says Qu Dongyu. More broadly, the food industry can help transform agriculture and food systems for better environmental, social and economic outcomes.

The FAO chief made the remarks yesterday at the Fixing the Business of Food: The Food Industry and the SDG Challenge event in New York which closely followed the UN Climate Action Summit 2019. The pivotal role the food industry plays in helping to offset the climate crisis was also underscored at the Summit.

Qu Dongyu stressed that innovation and technology are key to food systems becoming more sustainable and to safeguarding vital natural resources. Farmers should also be equipped with tools, knowledge and capacity to improve agricultural output, he notes.

His comments come at the same time as Tesco Chief Executive Dave Lewis says the UK will miss Sustainability Development Goals (SDG) on food waste unless mandatory reporting is introduced. Lewis is Chairman of the Champions 12.3 group, a coalition of executives from governments, businesses, international organizations, research institutes and civil society which is working to meet SDG 12.3.

The lack of data on progress towards reducing food waste is an obstacle to meeting the goal of halving food waste by 2030, according to a report published yesterday by Champions 12.3. In the UK, 156 of the largest food companies have committed to reducing food waste, but less than a third are publishing their annual food waste data.

“A lot of food companies have pledged to tackle food waste, but without transparency will not be able to judge if they are delivering on their commitment. Publishing food waste data is vital and must be mandatory if the UK is to achieve SDG 12.3 to halve food waste by 2030. The Government has indicated it will introduce mandatory reporting and we call on them to do this urgently,” says Lewis. 

The case for reducing food waste is indisputable, he stresses, as one-third of the world’s food is wasted while one in nine people go hungry. “If food loss and waste were a country, it would be the third-largest emitter of greenhouse gases on the planet. We cannot delay, we must act now,” he adds. 

Of the world’s 50 largest food companies, over two-thirds have set targets in line with SDG 12.3, more than 40 percent are measuring their food loss and waste, and just one-third are pursuing actions at scale to reduce waste in their own operations. 

Businesses need to increase efforts to engage their suppliers and increase public reporting of their food loss and waste inventories.

Branded suppliers publishing data for the first time include Coca-Cola, General Mills, Kellogg, KP Snacks, LRS, Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Princes, Unilever and Whitworths. 

Since last year, Tesco has halved the amount of food safe for human consumption going to waste and today it represents just 0.1 percent of food sales.

Own label suppliers who will be publishing their data include 2 Sisters, A Gomez, AMT Fruit, Arla, Avara Foods, Bakkavor, Branston, Cranswick, DPS, Espersen, Flamingo, Froneri, Glinwell, Greencore, Greenyard, G’s Fresh, Hilton Foods, Hockfeld, Kepak, Kerry Foods, Moy Park, Muller, Noble, Ornua, Premier Foods, Samworth and Yeo Valley.

Upping the sustainability game
With the global population due to hit ten billion by 2050, the importance of providing sustainable products with a high nutritional value will only continue to grow, highlights Nelleke Barning, VP Global Communications & External Affairs Nutrition at DSM. 

“Sustainability is high on the agenda for consumers, making transparency key when communicating with customers, and procurement processes are also tightening up when it comes to sustainability, putting the emphasis on the entire supply chain to assess its environmental impact,” she tells FoodIngredientsFirst. 

“The food and nutrition industry therefore have a shared commitment to protecting our people and planet. We need to take action now to create a greener and healthier future for generations to come,” she stresses.

Reducing food waste, lowering the carbon footprint of food, beverage and supplement production and environmentally friendly sourcing of ingredients are just a few areas where improvements can be made to the sustainability credentials of the industry, Barning notes. “But to succeed, we need to work together and share best practice.” 

What is the food waste target?
Champions offer three recommendations for leaders to achieve SDG Target 12.3 by 2030. They are:
- Every country, major city and company involved in the food supply chain should endorse and adopt SDG Target 12.3.
- Governments and companies should quantify their food loss and waste and publicly report this information.
- Based on the insights from measurement, governments and companies should innovate and scale up adoption of policies and practices that reduce food loss and waste.

By 2030, SDG 12.3 aims to halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reduce food losses along production and supply chains, including post-harvest losses. But given the latest report, this looks like an uphill struggle to pull off within just over a decade. 

By Gaynor Selby