Food Marketing & Technology - India June 2019 | Page 12

Cutting food packaging waste: a dream? Technologies will Power Future of Food Industry! Isn’t it frustrating for you, dear reader, as an executive, an important cog in the food industry, to see between 20 to 75% of what you stand for being wasted? The purpose of the food and beverage industry is to meet the needs of the consumer. It is both sad and hard to believe, in a world where we can communicate with each other globally quicker than the blinking of an eye, that we are unable to keep food products from going bad within a single country. The role of a farmer is to grow the food to feed the world. The role of the food industry is to bring this food to the consumer. However most food losses occur at production level, as a result of underdeveloped production, conservation and packaging, as well as inadequate storage, transport and infrastructural facilities. As the global population is building toward 9 billion and our communities are growing bigger and more connected, this leaves one increasingly important concern hanging above our heads i.e. food security. Fortunately, advances in technology and communications are allowing us to track, analyze, and understand the way our food system works to help reduce the amount of food waste and carbon emissions. Also, this allows us to feed the 8 billion people who at present don’t have enough to eat. The first and main role of a package is to protect its contents. A package should attract consumers, to help them choose this item out of several other similar ones. The outside of a package is a source of information, often very detailed, which makes it easier to make purchase decisions. The package has to look good, protect, attract and inform, but still the contents are more important. It is often inadequate packaging which causes food and drinks to spoil before they reach the consumer. It is true even today that there is enough food in the world to feed the population. Unfortunately large amounts (over 60%!) are wasted due to poor packaging and transportation. One of the calls behind sustainability is to use as little packaging as possible. I would argue that it is more sustainable to use as much packaging as necessary. Well packaged goods are safer, more hygienic and often more practical than loose products. Better packages preserve foods longer, so they will reach hungry mouths in a suitable condition. In short, packaging has a significant role to play in preventing starvation and malnutrition. The strange thing about all this: If we waste less food, we will save money and protect the environment. There are economical advantages since there are fewer wasted packages, sustainable advantages since resources will go further and humanitarian benefits, since there will be more food to go round. That’s what I call a win- win-win situation! Benno Keller keller@ harnisch.com New food technologies not only create value for food processing companies, but they also help them to innovate great tasting, safe and quality foods while maintaining ‘fresh-like’ characteristics as per consumers’ expectations. In the past few years, a number of emerging or new food processing technologies have been investigated and developed. These technologies have also been implemented to some extent in order to improve/replace traditional processing technologies. Some examples of these technologies include: Cold Plasma; High-Pressure Processing; Low Energy Electron Beams; Use of Ultrasound; Irradiations; etc. The new technologies used in the food industry are expected to give a better result than conventional methods. These technologies have great potential for reducing pathogens and microbial load from food products. Also, technologies add value to the food products in terms of overall quality, long shelf life, improved texture, enhanced taste, etc. On the other hand, technologies also help in opening the doors for wider interstate and international export markets. In future as well, the technologies will continue to develop and impact the food industry. With the help of intense R&D, technology will become smarter and more advanced and ultimately, it will improve our relationship with food. It can teach us how to innovate value-added foods without hurting our planet, and provide us with the hope of finding an alternate way to solve world hunger one day! Happy Reading! Linda Brady Hawke Ian D. Healey [email protected] [email protected] Food Marketing & Technology 12 June 2019