Why Food Waste is Such a Big Climate Issue - Episode 102

The United Nations estimates that we lose about one third of our global food supply every year to waste and loss. And that organic matter contributes about 10% of our global emissions each year.

Getting a hold on our food waste is a big issue and a huge opportunity, not only for climate action but also in economic terms. In this episode, Paul breaks down the different points in the food value chain where spoilage and waste occurs - and discusses some of the innovative solutions that are emerging to address these issues.

For more research:

"The Enormous Scale Of Global Food Waste" - Stastita

"Food loss and waste account for 8-10% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions; cost USD 1 trillion annually" - UNFCCC

"7 innovative solutions for fighting food waste" - World Economic Forum

Follow Paul on LinkedIn.

Transcript

This is Eight Minute Climate Fix – a podcast helping you understand the energy and climate challenge in just a few minutes – I’m your host, Paul Schuster.

Food waste is a *big* climate problem. The United Nations estimates that, in 2022, over 1 billion tons of food went wasted, representing over $1 Trillion US Dollars. And as that organic matter broke down – it accounts for 8-10% of the world’s annual global emissions. More than the aviation industry.

This is a big deal – and an issue that is finally starting to get a lot of attention from not just policy makers, but from industry and technology start-ups looking to help us significantly reduce all of that wastage.

Eight Minutes – it’s how long it takes the sun’s rays to hit earth, or about the amount of time you should spend watching the election news updates tomorrow night. Hey – nothing’s going to be determined on Tuesday and, regardless of which side of the aisle you are on – you don’t need the added stress and anxiety that the news channels are going to bombard you with. Instead, grab time with the family, watch a movie … or find a favorite short podcast to listen to. Just make certain to vote … and Let’s get it on.

Food waste is an issue that goes beyond the economic loss and resource inefficiency. The United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) estimates that about 13% of our food is lost during harvesting and production … and a full 19% of food that eventually makes its way to consumers is ultimately discarded. A full THIRD of our global food supply is just lost .. And this contributes up to 10% of the world’s annual greenhouse gas emissions. 

And food waste goes beyond simply the decomposition of the organic matter, as well. It means that we have to use more land, more energy, more water, more labor. Cutting food spoilage – in all of its forms – is important not just for the climate, but economically as well. 

And while I wasn’t surprised to find myself and my fellow Americans high on the list of countries contributing to global food waste, I was a bit more surprised at the other countries on this list – and at how global this issue truly is. 

China, for instance, wastes over 100 million tons of food annually compared to the US’s 25 million tons. India is around 78 million tons and Brazil, of all places, is fourth on the list at just over 20 million tons. In fact, Brazil’s waste per capita is a staggering 94 kilograms per person – whereas China and the US are roughly the same at around 75 kilograms per person.

I’m not citing those stats to single any one country out (though I’m surprised that American consumerism didn’t dominate the charts!) – what I AM trying to point out is that food waste is a truly global challenge, and one that every country is trying to address.

And addressing it is more than just buying or eating less. There’s waste across the entirety of the food value chain – all of which needs to become more efficient.

Let’s begin with Production Waste – where food losses are typically classified under FIELD LOSSES, where crops are spoiled before they can be harvested, and then HARVEST WASTE, where crops are left unharvested due to quality standards or changing market considerations.

For the crops that ARE harvested, they can be subjected to SPOILAGE during Post-Harvesting, due to improper refrigerated storage or may be subjected to PEST INFESTATION during storage.

Once the crops make their way toward Processing, an enormous amount of waste can add up due to TRIMMING & CULLING as well as PROCESS LOSSES. During Trimming, for instance, food can face being discarded due to size, shape or aesthetic standards while the manufacturing process, itself, can also lead to inefficiencies such as spillage.

Once the product is sent to retail, additional spoilage may occur due to either damaged packaging en-route, overbuying for required inventory, or expired products that must be discarded from the retail shelves.

Then, of course, there is the waste that occurs once the consumer finally purchases the food product. This could be a simple matter of OVERBUYING, and not using the food before it expires, all the way to OVER-PORTIONING, where more food is prepared than can actually be consumed. INADEQUATE STORAGE at the consumer site can also lead to spoilage, either due to temperature or pests.

And then, lastly, is the impact of the FOOD SERVICES industry, such as restaurants, where PREPARATION WASTE and BUFFET WASTE are issues that need to be addressed to reduce the amount of discarded fare.

When looked across that value chain – yeah, there are a LOT of places where food waste can start to pile up. It’s NOT just a matter of eating what’s on your plate (though – don’t tell my kids that … that’s a different issue to discuss!)

The good news is that innovative companies are starting to address this waste through some really thoughtful solutioning. Take, for instance, what’s occurring in Geneva, where eco-friendly community fridges are popping up. Consumers that have food that is about to go bad can stock these fridges with what, otherwise, would have been thrown out – and allow others in their community to tap into the leftover food. Food sharing has been on the rise in Switzerland and Germany for over a decade.

Or consider how Australia is taking imperfect fruit, that may have a blemish or simply look a little weird, and are deeply discounting them to consumers who are less picky about the aesthetics of the “ugly” produce to begin with. 

Or companies such as Blue Apron that pre-proportion food ingredients in order to cut down on overbuying or wasted plate food.

And then there has been the rise of composters and anaerobic digesters that are taking spoiled produce that would otherwise be lost, and turning it into a valuable energy commodity. 

And plenty of start-ups are working on smarter packaging for our produce, not only creating bio-engineered containers – but maybe going as far as modifying the atmosphere INSIDE the package to reduce spoilage. For instance, modified atmosphere package is a technique that alters the level of oxygen and carbon dioxide inside the package in order to slow down ripening and extend shelf life by as much as twice what otherwise would have been seen.

Look – food waste is a big problem, and one that requires solutions across the entire value chain. Solutions that improve harvesting and pest control. Solutions that modify packaging and refrigeration. But it also requires changes in how we consume and think about food as well. Such as in the aesthetic value of a perfectly fine, but slightly misshapen lemon – or a … square pumpkin. 

It requires us to be diligent in how we prepare our food, how we consume it, and how we store and food products over time. I lived through the 80’s when recycling was just taking off and achieving a cultural relevance in environmental responsibility. Maybe we need something similar for food waste, too – where we hold ourselves responsible for our contribution to this issue.

I’m Paul Schuster – and this has been your eight minutes.