Food loss and waste is also a $1.2 trillion USD business opportunity

With one third of all food lost or wasted, representing 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, it is currently one of the biggest global challenges and calls for immediate action.

The total amount of food lost or wasted globally, corresponding to 1.6 billion tons of food, is altogether worth about $1.2 trillion USD. Reducing food loss and waste is therefore not only a necessary step to sustainable development, it is also good business.

Cross-collaboration is a necessity

If global food loss and waste is to be halved by 2030, as stated in SDG target 12.3, there is a need to understand precisely how and where food loss and waste occurs – and what solutions to bring in to play to address this.

“We believe that to find new solutions to reduce global food loss and waste, it is necessary to think in new collaborations, create new partnerships and research even more in innovative solutions”, says Lise Walbom, CEO of Food Nation.

A common effort is needed to bring together the whole value chain and ensure that stakeholders across the world work towards the same agenda.

Danish solutions to global challenges

The Danish food and agriculture sector are continuously working to innovate and develop products, solutions and technologies to reduce food loss and waste throughout the food value chain.

“The Danish food cluster does not only see food loss and waste as a challenge, but also as a great business opportunity and we are eager to collaborate with like-minded partners”, says Lise Walbom.

An example is seen in the Danish ingredient industry where companies are developing bacteria cultures and enzymes to prolong the shelf life of food products and in the processing industry where companies increasingly are upcycling by-products that used to be tossed away. In addition, there is also a great deal of effort to minimise food loss with effective storage facilities and during transportation via targeted refrigeration as well as reducing food waste at consumer level by e.g. selling surplus food from restaurants and retail through an app.

Find more cases from the Danish food cluster in the case collection from Food Nation here.