By-lined to Becky Raisewell-Bunn, Food Application Specialist at Air Products’
Building a circular economy – what should food manufacturers be thinking about?
By-lined to Becky Raisewell-Bunn, Food Application Specialist at Air Products’
The food and drink industry is facing significant challenges relating to waste and sustainability, with 1.3 billion tonnes of food wasted globally each year according to the Food and Agriculture Organisation( FAO). This contributes to 8-10 % of global greenhouse gas emissions annually – and while there is currently no mandatory waste reduction target in the UK, the government has revised its Food
14 FDPP- www. fdpp. co. uk
Strategy citing waste reduction as one of its priority outcomes.
So, what are the key areas food manufacturers need to consider as they strive for a more circular economy?
Packaging and processes
Packaging plays a dual role that must be considered in parallel: on the one hand, it can help reduce food waste, but on the other, the use of packaging materials contributes to environmental waste.
There are proven, effective and well-established packaging technologies that extend shelflife and, in so doing, reduce food waste. By altering the atmosphere inside food packaging, for example, Modified Atmosphere Packaging( MAP) helps to slow down bacterial and microbial growth – ultimately preserving the taste, safety, quality and integrity of the produce for longer. Shelf life can be extended further by combining MAP with cryogenic freezing( Freshline Superfresh ®) to slow down the food deterioration after thawing. This allows food manufacturers to reduce seasonal bottlenecks, optimise production, or simply bring product to market that can be sold and consumed for an extended period of time. Technology therefore can play an important role in reducing food waste and lowering related carbon emissions.
Then there’ s the packaging itself. Striving for a more circular economy, which sees plastics being repurposed, then recycled at the end of their life to be put back into the supply chain, can help promote a more sustainable model, therefore reducing waste.
According to a study by GoUnpackaged, Berry, Tesco, Ocado Retail and others, switching 30 % of grocery store goods into sustainable packing could result in a reduction