24/05/2011
Europe’s Food and Drink Industry demonstrates how packaging can be part of the solution in tackling food waste
(Brussels, 24 May 2011) Today, as part of the EU’s 11th Green Week, the CIAA (Confederation of the food and drink industries of the EU) presented its efforts to reduce food waste through more innovative and efficient use of packaging, combined with improved consumer education.
According to a study by the European Commission published in November 2010 (Preparatory Study on Food Waste across EU 27(1)) annual food waste amounts to approximately 90 million tonnes across the EU.
Industry has put in place practices to minimise waste and better use raw materials, for example by using parts that do not go into the main food product, for example, by-products to produce renewable energy or animal feed.
Manufacturers are also focusing their efforts on helping consumers to reduce food waste because, when food is wasted at the end of the chain, all the resources invested in a product’s lifecycle, from farm to fork, are lost.
During the presentation, the CIAA took the opportunity to showcase the strides that have been taken by manufacturers to use packaging as a core tool in the industry´s approach.
Several examples were given to demonstrate how packaging can be part of the solution: From measures such as varying pack sizes to help consumers buy the right amount of food in line with their needs to providing more information and advice on how to store and use products to ensure they remain at their best.
Two case studies from Norway and the UK demonstrated the advances being made, for example, a commitment in the UK reduced food waste by 270,000 tonnes by March 2010.
On behalf of the CIAA, Pascal Gréverath, Chair of the CIAA’s Environmental Sustainability Committee, said "I welcome this opportunity to present the industry’s efforts in tackling food waste. The overall aim is to minimise food waste at every stage in the food chain without compromising food safety, in order to preserve increasingly scarce natural resources such as water, and packaging is a key tool in helping us achieve this.”
(1) http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eussd/pdf/bio_foodwaste_report.pdf
NOTE TO EDITORS:
European Food Sustainable Consumption and Production Round Table (SCP RT): The SCP RT is an initiative co-chaired by the European Commission and food chain partners. It is supported by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and European Environment Agency (EEA). There are 24 member organisations representing the European food chain.
The aim of the European Food SCP Round Table is to establish the food chain as a major contributor towards sustainable consumption and production in Europe.
It takes a harmonised life-cycle approach to facilitate a results-driven dialogue among all players along the food chain. A key principle is that environmental information communicated along the food chain, including to consumers, shall be scientifically reliable and consistent, understandable and not misleading, so as to support informed choice.
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