40% of all foods produced in the less developed countries spoil every day before they reach the consumers.
This is a little less than half of all available foods in those countries, and it also has consequences for the scarce local resources, such as land, water and energy. These “investments” are thus also irretrievably lost.
These serious losses exacerbate food supplies particularly in areas where they are scarce to begin with, and unnecessarily increase water and energy requirements. This is true in particular for meat, since meat production uses up many times more of the afore-mentioned resources than fruits and vegetables. For example, the production of a 250-gram steak requires seven square metres of arable land.
“FAO’s role and that of other public sector is vital but the solutions have to come from the private sector, which is the driving force from consumers, retail and small holders,” explained Daniel Gustafson, FAO Deputy Director-General, at the first SAVE FOOD partner event in Rome to the 150 international participants.
The fact that one of eight people in the world is starving3, dramatically illustrates the high loss rates when it comes to food stuffs. The main reason for the fact that so much food is spoiled especially in developing countries is connected to insufficient harvest, transportation and storage methods or capacities. There is a serious need for methods and technologies for infrastructure optimisation in the affected regions, as well as for the use of suitable transportation and packaging options.
This topic – as well as the topic of food wastage in the industrialised nations – will be discussed at the second international SAVE FOOD Congress in Düsseldorf, held on 7 and 8 May. interpack, the leading international trade fair for the packaging industry and the affiliated process industry, offers the ideal platform to connect industry insiders from companies and associations.
1) www.fao.org/docrep/014/mb060e/mb060e00.pdf
2) „Taste the Waste“, Valentin Thurn and Nina von Rad
