Saturday, April 05, 2014

More waste

Industrialised countries waste 222 million tons of food a year, just 10 million tons short of the net food production of sub-Saharan Africa. Across the EU, efforts to reduce food waste were "fragmented and untargeted"; 90 million tons of waste were being generated every year.  If no action was taken, the EU could produce around 126 million tons of food waste by 2020. Tesco in the UK alone generated nearly 30,000 tons of food waste in the first six months of 2013

Evidence showed how supermarkets transfer food waste to other areas of the supply chain. According to estimates published by the European Commission, retailers only directly account for around 5 per cent of food waste, with consumers causing 42 per cent and producers 39 per cent.

But closer analysis suggests that retailers, and supermarkets in particular, have developed ways to distribute what could become their food waste, such as excess stock, to other parts of the supply chain. This creates the impression that producers and consumers are more at fault.

Retailers pass the burden of food waste on to the consumer "through incentives and promotions such as Buy One Get One Free, which encourage consumers to purchase in large volumes".

Actions by retailers "such as the cancellation of orders of food that has already been grown" pushes the problem back up the supply chain on to producers and farmers. Farmers are heavily penalised if they don't supply enough produce to retailers, so they overproduce to avoid the risk. Many farmers who do not have an alternative market often see their surplus going to waste if another buyer cannot be found.

"Cosmetic standards" in food, arguing that supermarkets refusing to sell misshapen or discoloured fruit and vegetables was unnecessary and "indefensible". The report said that between 20 and 40 per cent of such crops in UK farms are never harvested as  they do not comply with strict retail specifications.

From here

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