UNIT A2 1 Option A:

Food Security and

Sustainability: Food
Waste
ulster.ac.uk
LEARNING OUTCOMES: FOOD WASTE

• Understand the concept of ‘food waste’;

• Understand food and associated packaging waste as an
environmental and ethical issue; and
• Examine the role of primary producers, food
manufacturers, retailers and consumers in contributing to
food and packaging waste; and
• Understand how WRAP UK, Courtauld Commitment and
Love Food Hate Waste NI aim to reduce food and
packaging waste.
FOOD WASTE
Food is wasted before, during or after meal preparation in the
households and is discarded during production, manufacturing,
distribution, retail and catering (European Commission, 2011).
About 90 million tonnes of food is wasted annually or 180 kg per capita
per year in Europe, excluding agricultural food waste and fish discards
(European Commission, 2011).
About a third of the food for human consumption is wasted globally -
around 1.3 billion tons per year, according to Food and Agriculture
Organisation (2017);
Food waste in industrialized countries is as high as in developing
countries:
– In developing countries, over 40% of food losses happen after
harvest and during processing;
– In industrialised countries, over 40% occurs at retail and consumer
level. (European Commission, 2011).

http://ec.europa.eu/food/food/sustainability/index_en.htm
 FOOD WASTE: ENVIRONMENT & ETHICS
• Environmental: Separating food waste from landfill waste means
environmental benefits:
• Less waste going to landfill,
• Fewer greenhouse gas emissions,
• Fewer vermin problems.
• Economic: Food waste hurts our pockets – we throw away hundreds
of pounds worth of food every year.
• Ethical: Hunger and malnutrition can exist when food is readily
available but wasted (Food Ethics Council, 2017). Food banks are
increasing alongside food waste. Is it appropriate to use food that
would otherwise go to waste to feed hungry people? (Caraher &
Furey, 2017)
• Public money: Recycling food waste reduces the cost of waste
disposal for councils making more money available for other public
services.
FOOD WASTE
• The United Kingdom alone discards 10 million tonnes of food
every year – enough to fill six Wembley Stadiums.
• 4.2 million tonnes of avoidable food waste thrown away
every year – equivalent to £12.5 billion (WRAP, 2013).
• Consider waste a resource and attach real value to it.
VALUING FOOD
Waste is about how we value food.
Food waste is a modern phenomenon – due to
us being more removed about where food
comes from.
Food waste costs money: it costs to grow,
harvest, process, sell and buy food.
FOOD WASTE PRODUCED AT EACH STAGE
OF THE FOOD CHAIN

Bagherzadeh et al, 2014

PRIMARY PRODUCERS
• Pest infestation and severe weather events

• The use of machinery in harvesting can cause waste, as harvesters

may be unable to discern between ripe and immature crops, or
collect only part of a crop

• Inefficient harvesting: unharvested crops and losses during

harvesting

• In countries such as the UK a significant amount of food waste is

generated on the farm by the use of commercial cosmetic standards
for food.

• These are related to the demands of retailers for standard products,

so for example, apples must meet both size and appearance
standards. [FAO, 2017]
MANUFACTURERS

• Food spoilage in storage and transportation.

• Inefficient manufacturing also results in discarded food.

[FAO, 2017]
ASSOCIATED PACKAGING WASTE
Greater consumer demand for the reduction of
packaging and more guidance on recycling.
A total of 6.4 billion single-use bags were used
by supermarket customers across the UK in
2010 (WRAP, 2011).
Benefits both consumer and retailer = cost
reductions.
 RETAILER ACTIONS: PLASTIC BAGS

The store chain made a landmark decision to start charging 5p for the bags,
to encourage a switch to green reusable alternatives

M&S cuts its plastic bag handout by 70m

A ban on free plastic bags by Marks & Spencer has led to an astonishing
80% cut in the number handed out.

Green switch: M&S has seen plastic bag handout cut by 80%

Read more: 
http
://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/bills/article-1637684/MS-cuts-its-plastic-bag-hando
ut-by-70m.html#ixzz2BHa6sf8o
 
RETAILER ACTIONS
67% of consumers think it is “very important” for
retailers to use more recyclable packaging
Retailers are using reusable crates within supply
chains
Public commitment to educate consumers on
waste issues – what can and cannot be recycled

Issues of reduced packaging:

– Poorer quality goods on shelf
– Higher food waste due to damage in transit

http://www.ipsosmorigrads.com/pdf/reputation_report_v1.pdf
RETAILER ACTIONS AGAINST WASTE
1. Reduce usage of plastic carrier bags
2. Reduce the amount of packaging on product
3. Changes to food labelling
– Bigger focus on use by instead of best before dates)
– Storage advice and freezing guidance
4. Longer shelf lives
5. Availability of smaller pack sizes / re-closable and fresh for
freezing portion packs.
6. Stop over-ordering
7. Stop demanding cosmetic perfection
8. Change marketing strategies (eg) BOGOFs on perishable
foods (bagged salads etc)
 CONSUMER ACTION AGAINST WASTE
• Food swopping is rapidly Re-useable bags
increasing in the UK. It relates
to organised events where Recycling
people trade home-grown, Buying recycled items or
home-made or foraged foods products containing
with each other and no money
is exchanged. recycled material
• Love Food Hate Waste: since Recycling food waste
its launch, consumers have
saved £3billion by not buying
Ipsos survey 2007 –
food that would otherwise 1,131 consumers
have gone to waste. – 84% re-use carrier bags
– 74% recycle
– 45% recycled or
composed food waste
FOOD WASTE
• Top wasted foods: bread; fruit juice and smoothies; chicken /
pork / ham / bacon; cakes / pastries; processed potatoes
(Love Food Hate Waste).
• Reasons: Not used in time; cooked/prepared/served too
much; personal preferences.
• NI has new food waste regulations (from 1 April 2017)
requiring us to separate food waste from other waste going
to landfill (NI Environment Agency, 2017).
WRAP UK

WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) is a

registered charity that works with businesses, individuals
and communities to reduce food and drink waste, develop
sustainable products and use resources efficiently. It also
works in textiles, electricals and resource management.
 
WRAP was established in 2000 and developed both
"Recycle Now" and “Love Food, Hate Waste” to help
businesses, local authorities, community groups and
individuals recycle and reuse more, and reduce food waste.
Courtauld Commitment
• Supports the UK governments' policy goal of a 'zero waste
economy via a voluntary agreement between food retailers and
suppliers to reduce household food waste, packaging and supply
chain waste. Aims to reduce waste generation, increase the rate
of recycling and diversion of waste from landfill to meet the UK's
target for reducing biodegradable waste under the EU Landfill
Directive.
• It has focused on reducing packaging, redistribution of unused
food to charities, and delivering a more sustainable food system.
• Companies report annually to WRAP on their progress which
ensured that a baseline on waste data was established and that
progress towards the targets is rigorously monitored to
demonstrate progress to stakeholders.
Love Food Hate Waste NI

A WRAP campaign that aims to raise awareness of the need to

reduce food waste and help us take action.
It shows that by doing some easy practical everyday things in the
home we can all waste less food, which will benefit our purses
and the environment too.
It aims to help householders make the most of their food and their
money by offering simple tips, hints and advice on topics such as
portion planning, freezing and storage..
Its website, https://www.lovefoodhatewaste.com/, gives recipe
ideas, campaign updates and background information ont eh
importance of reducing food waste.
SUMMARY

• An unacceptable amount of food is wasted that could

otherwise have been eaten (avoidable food waste).
• Food is wasted by everyone along the food chain.
• This has implications for the environment and economy,
and is the subject of moral and ethical debates.
• Farmers, manufacturers, retailers and consumers each
have a role to play in reducing food waste
• Government and charitable campaigns are working to
raise awareness and reduce food losses at every stage of
the food chain.
 USEFUL READING
• Bagherzadeh, M., M. Inamura, and H. Jeong. (2014) Food waste along the food chain. OECD Food,
Agriculture and Fisheries Papers.
• Belfast City Council. (2017) Food waste legislation. Available from:
http://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/buildingcontrol-environment/foodsafety/foodwastelegislation.aspx.
• Caraher, M. and Furey, S. (2017) Is it appropriate to use surplus food to feed people in hunger? Short-
term Band-Aid to more deep rooted problems of poverty. London: Food Research Collaboration.
• Cybulska, G. (2000) Waste management in the food industry. Campden: Campden & Chorleywood
Food Research Association Group.
• European Commission. (2017) Questions and answers on food waste minimisation and food packaging
optimisation. Available from: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-11-598_en.htm.
• European Commission. (2017) Stop food waste. Available from: https://
ec.europa.eu/food/safety/food_waste/stop_en
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2017) Save food. Global initiative on food loss
and waste reduction. Available from: http://www.fao.org/save-food/resources/keyfindings/en/
• Food Ethics Council. (2017) Food waste. Available from: http://
www.foodethicscouncil.org/planet/resources.html.
• Fox, T. (2013) Waste not want not. London: Institute of Mechanical Engineers. Available from:
http://www.imeche.org/Libraries/Reports/IMechE_Global_Food_Report.sflb.ashx [Accessed 16/01/13].
• Midgley, J. (2008) Best before: How the UK should respond to food policy challenges. London: Institute
for Public Policy Research North. Available from:
http://www.ippr.org/images/media/files/publication/2011/05/best_before_1647.pdf [Accessed 16/01/13].
• Recyclenow. (2017) New food waste legislation – 1 April 2017. Available from:
https://www.recyclenow.com/news/2017-03-29-new-food-waste-regulations-%E2%80%93-1st-april-2017
THANK YOU
ANY QUESTIONS?
ms.furey@ulster.ac.uk
ulster.ac.uk