The food industry’s waste is ‘imprudent' and ‘unnecessary’

At its most fundamental, the fact that 30–50% of all food is wasted, and that half of this wastage is down to inefficiencies within the food industry, is, quite frankly, imprudent and unnecessary.

Better forecasting and stock planning is the key to better economics, better ecology and improved customer service.

Less spoiled or wasted food is also better for the environment and less spoilage through better planning invariably means fresher goods for consumers.

Reduce prices ​

Savings will help both retailers’ and manufacturers’ bottom lines and can help to reduce prices later to help consumers.

All this can be readily achieved through a combination of the latest supply chain management technology and improved processes around data gathering, control and transparency.

The financial impact for food retailers and wholesalers is massive. For a food retailer or wholesaler that throws away goods worth 25% of its turnover each year, the possibility of cutting this wastage by 15–40% is significant, as the saving is directly visible in the company’s profit and loss.

Spoilage reduction ​

And, on a wider scale, the estimated spoilage reduction that could be achieved through the application of better data and technology in the EU would be a significant amount and equal to the annual food consumption of Canada.

This spoilage reduction would also reduce carbon emissions by 22–60Mt a year, which is over 10% of the EU’s 2020 target (of achieving zero food waste to landfill by 2020).

It is inexcusable for the food industry to accept the current levels of wastage the technology and processes are readily available, and the return on investment for the sector is too compelling to ignore on many fronts.

Mikko Kärkkäinen

Group chief executive

Relex Solutions