EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN source to retail outlets ( 16 %) and from retailer to consumption ( 16 %). Less than 1 % occurred in retail outlets itself . Tesco , however , accepted a shared responsibility across the value chain to reduce waste by partnering with producers and suppliers and providing assistance to consumers .
O ’ Connor left delegates with three key recommendations : 1 . Targets set ambition and ambition motivates action . Every country , major city and company involved in the food supply chain should set food loss and waste reduction targets consistent with UN target 12.3 to ensure sufficient attention and focus .
2 . Measure — what gets measured gets managed . Governments and companies should quantify and report on food loss and waste , and monitor progress over time through to 2030 .
3 . Act to impact — all role players . Governments , companies , and civil society should accelerate and scale up the adoption of policies , incentives , investments , and practices that reduce food loss and waste .
ReFED takes lead in US
Food waste in the US was put under the spotlight by Eva Goulbourne , associate director at ReFED . “ Every year , American consumers , businesses , and farms spend USD218-billion ( roughly 1.3 % of GDP ) on food that is never eaten . US food waste uses 18 % of cropland , 19 % of fertilizer , 21 % of fresh water , and 21 % of landfill volume , and generates 5 % of greenhouse gas ( GHG ) emissions . Nearly 85 % of all food waste happens in the homes of consumers or businesses such as restaurants , retail grocers , and institutional cafeterias .”
What has been done about food waste other than collecting data ? Over 30 businesses , NGOs , foundations , and government leaders formed a non-profit collaboration , ReFED , in 2015 to reduce food waste in the US . Members of ReFED include Arabella Advisors , Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic , the City of Phoenix , Food Waste Reduction Alliance ,
The panel for the Exploration of the Cold Chain Frontier session , from left : Mark Cywilko ( session chair ), Pankaj Mehta , Eric Prieur , Kevin Fay , Mark Mitchell , and Steven Finn .
the Walmart Foundation , the City of Seattle , and the Rockefeller Foundation .
On 9 March 2016 , ReFED launched ‘ A roadmap to reduce US food waste by 20 %’ — the first ever national economic study and action plan driven by a multi stakeholder group , committed to tackling food waste on a national scale .
ReFED has set their food waste baseline as 63 million tonnes of waste per year . Of that , 52.4 million tonnes are sent to landfills and 10.1 million tonnes occur on farms . An USD18-billion investment , in 27 solutions to reduce US food waste by 20 %, would yield USD100-billion in societal economic value over a decade . The investment will be in solutions focused on prevention and recovery of food waste , and recycling in the form of composting and conversion to animal feed , to name but a few of the many interventions . Funding will come from private donors , governments , and NGOs . All role players can get involved with the roadmap of ReFED at www . refed . com .
Redefining food waste
From initiatives in the US and UK to reduce food waste , the focus turned to India . Pawanexh Kohli , chief advisor and CEO of the National Centre for Coldchain Development in India , redefined food waste .
“ Food loss occurs when food escapes its intended use , that is , to be eaten ! Cold chain mitigates loss of perishable food by taking it to more consumers and by reaching food shelves securely , safely , and in quality . Food loss is not a matter of static measure and its root cause is many times ignored . In large parts of the world , farmers discard their harvest due to lack of logistics connectivity with markets . Trading in farm produce must undergo a transformation so that more fresh harvest finds access to more consumers . Cold chain is that logistics bridge from farms to consumer .”
He then went on to address productivity , shelf life , and harmonising of understanding to collaboration . “ The holding life of produce is extended with the cold chain so that a longer presence on shelf or shelf life is possible , creating more opportunity for producers . Without a cold chain , the holding life is limited , thereby narrowing the range of accessible markets . Shelf life is not to be confused with total holding life . Shelf life is time spent on shelves and at homes . Our capacity to feed our growing numbers is at risk . Climate change and degradation of resources demand that we be careful with what we harvest .”
Stakeholders should harmonise to pool resources , have a common glossary in cold chain practices , and move more food from banks to retail shelves , he recommended . The list of stakeholders is extensive , including self-help associations such as farmers and consumer groups , academic research and training institutes , members of individual associations , industry and government bodies , commercial sectors such as food and equipment sector and investors , consultants , and logistics and
Local fruits for sale at the entrance of a restaurant . A stop at the science museum was also a must .
26 www . coldlinkafrica . co . za COLD LINK AFRICA • March | April 2017