Fish and shellfish are Greenland’s most important natural resource. To keep stocks in balance, sustainable fishing is essential, along with ensuring minimal waste of the caught fish.

At Royal Greenland, the production and innovation team continuously explore new opportunities to optimise yield. This includes taking part in research projects with academic partners.

Thanks to these efforts, the fishing company has successfully reduced waste from its catch of Greenland halibut – a fish highly appreciated for its snowy-white meat and high content of omega-3 fatty acids.

There is close to zero waste in the production as almost everything from the Greenlandic halibut is used

Many options, low waste

As the world’s largest supplier of Greenland halibut, it is particularly important to Royal Greenland that as much as possible is utilised for human consumption. Today, there are many options for consumers to choose from.

The fish are either sold whole or cut into fillets, loins or portions. As for the heads, tails and frills, these are sold mainly to Asia, where especially the frills are a delicacy in Japanese sushi. Greenland halibut is also smoked and marinated.

The Greenland halibut is also a fish with high utilization as it contains very few bones and all the meat is distributed where it is appreciated the most.

Every third banana on the planet is produced in India. For many years, though, high post-harvest losses on the farms were the reason why only around two thirds of the produced fruit actually reached consumers.

Since the Danish engineering company Danfoss launched a task force with the Confederation of Indian Industry, things have changed.

The task force was set up to address the challenges of food loss, with a particular focus on bananas. An investigation of the banana supply chain revealed three major issues: a lack of agricultural practices at the pre-harvest stage, poor post-harvest management and a disconnect with the market.

Global cooling expertise

Danfoss used its global cooling expertise to develop two interventions: pre-cooling the newly harvested bananas to extend their life and quality and ripening chambers to keep the bananas at the right temperature on their way to consumers.

Cooling technology reduces banana wastage by almost 20% and doubles the farmers’ income

The introduction of a cooling technology has proven to be a game changer for Indian banana farmers. Not only has it reduced banana wastage by almost 20%. Farmer incomes have also more than doubled.

And, because the bananas keep fresh for longer, the farmers have now started an export adventure to Europe.

The value of knowledge transfer

Before the task force got to work, farmers were not aware of the need for post-harvest care. Their main priority was to increase their production. Today, they are using post-harvest management techniques to reduce losses and get better prices for their crop. The benefits of knowledge transfer are great.

With their cooling technology, Danfoss does not only contribute positively to counteract food loss and waste in the value chain, but also on SDG 2 to ensure safe access to food for all.

A third of all food loss occurs post-harvest – on the journey from the producer to market. Primary causes include poor storage facilities and transport delays. The varying storage requirements of perishable foods are another complicating factor. Fruits such as bananas and blueberries, for example, require quite different conditions to stay fresh in transit.

The Danish company Maersk Container Industry (MCI) has the solution to all needs – in the shape of refrigerated containers and refrigeration machines for food transportation by road or sea.

Controlled ripening and ageing

Using MCI’s Star Cool CA (for high respiring produce) and Star Cool CA+ (for low respiring produce) technology, shipping companies can secure optimal conditions for all kinds of fruit and vegetables during transport. The controlled atmosphere inside the containers manages ripening and ageing, slowing fruit metabolism and delaying the onset of decay.

The internal atmosphere of the containers is monitored and controlled during transit to optimize the ripening process and ensure cold treatment protocols are followed. So, when the products arrive at their destination, they are still in peak condition. That means fewer losses for growers and exporters alike.

Star Cool provides optimal conditions for fruit and vegetables during transport. That means fewer losses for growers and exporters

New market opportunities

Furthermore, MCI’s new remote monitoring solution Sekstant™ Global Guidance gives shipping companies direct access to data about conditions inside the container during transport, without having to rely on a third-party provider.

The Star Cool CA and CA+ technology is adding up to 34 days to transit times, without damaging the quality of the perishables increasing the opportunities to reach new markets.

All too many of the fresh salads, ready meals and sliced vegetables displayed in supermarket chiller cabinets never reach consumer households. Inadequate packaging is to blame. Because, when a fog of condensation appears on the clear film wrap, food products rapidly lose their appeal.

According to the UK organisation WRAP, up to 40% of all green convenience food is thrown directly in the bin, partly due to condensation in the packaging. The world’s only full-service emulsifier and stabiliser company, Palsgaard has used its expertise in polymers to come up with a solution: a water-based, anti-fog coating that keeps condensation transparent.

Made from 100% plant-based materials and produced in a CO2-neutral production plant, the coating could hardly be more sustainable

Rather than accumulating as large drops, the coating ensures that the condensed water forms a thin, transparent film. That means the chilled food under the film wrap stays looking as fresh and desirable as ever – so much less goes to waste.

Sustainable credentials

Made from 100% plant-based materials and produced in a CO2-neutral production plant, the coating – called Einar® 1122 – could hardly be more sustainable. With its properties, the anti-fog coating is a new opportunity to cut global food waste.

A third of the world’s food goes to waste – equivalent to around 1.3 billion tons a year – and the costs get higher at every step along the food value chain. That means, food waste by retailers and consumers are the most expensive of all.

It also used to be the most difficult waste to reduce as it requires change in consumer habits.

Danish company Too Good To Go has found a way to help consumers change their behaviour easily – by developing a user-friendly app that connects consumers with unsold food from shops and restaurants.

A marketplace for surplus food

The app is a total win-win. Consumers can buy surplus food that would otherwise go to waste at a discount price. Retailers can reduce their waste and gain access to potential new customers, who try their food.

The surplus food ranges from the fresh bread that bakeries have not sold during the day to unsold supermarket groceries or restaurant food. All perfectly edible.

300 million meals across Europe

Since Too Good To Go started up in 2016, 330 million surplus meals have been saved from shops and restaurants all over the world. It took six years to reach the first 100 million meals saved, while the next 100 million meals were saved 5 times faster, in under 1.5 years. This shows a clear indication of the company’s exponential growth and global leadership in the industry.

 

From 2016 to 2024, 95 million users have saved more than 330 million surplus meals

In 2023, Too Good To Go increased its registered users by 21 million and welcomed around 72.000 new business partners; an incredible accomplishment to help reduce impact on the environment of Too Good To Go’s community. Today, there are over 90 million registered users and 155.00 active business partners across 17 countries.

Avoiding food waste is not just about eliminating quality issues and over-production. It’s also about seeing the opportunities in residual products. Danish organic bakery company Jalm&B is exploiting this potential through inspiring partnerships and innovative craftsmanship.

In collaboration with other food companies, Jalm&B has launched several exciting initiatives to avoid food waste. One of them is called ‘Genbrød’ – which roughly translates to Re-bread.

From beer to bread and back again

Here, the company receives surplus golden roasted hazelnuts from the Jacobsen brewery, which are then recycled in bread. At the same time, the brewery uses surplus bread from Jalm&B to produce its new BRØL beer, which was served at the C40 World Mayors Summit in Copenhagen in 2019.

Jalm&B focuses on everyday opportunities to reuse raw materials that would otherwise go to waste

In another collaboration with Amass Restaurant in Copenhagen, Jalm&B’s unsold bread has been upcycled in a recipe for bread ice cream.

High-quality reuse

Jalm&B is constantly looking for new partnerships to reuse raw materials in everyday foods and beverages. The goal is always to create tasty, high-quality products that make good sense – commercially and sustainably.

Global wheat production is expected to drop by a third over the next 30 years due to the impact of climate change. That means global grain producers must increase production by 70% if they are to satisfy the demand of the world’s growing population. But, with too little land available for cultivation, they face an impossible task.

Therefore, innovative minds at the Danish manufacturer of solutions for grain processing, handling and storage, Cimbria has turned it’s attention to reducing the volumes of grain that go to waste post-harvest.

Take Egypt for example – a high grain-consuming country that produces 23 million tons of grain every year and imports around 17 million tons, making it one of the world’s biggest grain importers. Previously 20 – 30 % of Egyptian grain was lost in storage.

Keeping grain safe in silos

Cimbria has developed enclosed silos that effectively reduce grain loss. The silos are specially designed to maintain the quality of the grain by temperature and moisture control. In addition, the silos are equipped to protect against insects and remove impurities such as weed seeds. An inventory management system, which monitors all grain movements, provides further security against theft.

saves up to 400,000 tons of grain from going to waste in Egypt every year – enough grain to meet the needs of 1.6 million Egyptians

400,000 tons saved in Egypt alone

Today, Cimbria’s silos saves up to 400,000 tons of grain from going to waste in Egypt every year – enough grain to meet the needs of 1.6 million Egyptians. And that is just Egypt. All over the world, Cimbria silos are helping to reduce post-harvest grain losses, so more grain can find its way to the food and feed sector.

Consumer confusion about the ‘best before’ date on food products is a major cause of food waste in Europe. In Denmark alone, consumers are responsible for more than half of the 814,000 tons of food that are thrown out every year. Quite often, the food they put in the bin is still safe and good to eat.

Danish company Too Good To Go decided to take up the battle against food waste. By working with leading food and beverage manufacturers, the goal was to change the way dates are labelled so consumers are in no doubt about whether food is safe to eat or not.

Two labels, different meanings

Manufacturers currently use two types of date label in Denmark. The ‘best before’ label is applied to foods that worsen in quality and become unfit for consumption long before they pose a health risk. In other words, the ‘best before’ date simply indicates the food’s minimum durability. But, if the taste, smell and look are fine, the food can easily be eaten after that date.

The ‘last date of usage’ label is used on foods that may pose a risk to human health if eaten beyond their shelf life. This means consumers must respect the date as the absolute end of shelf life. Beyond that, a product may be unsafe to eat even though its quality has yet to worsen.

Around a third of Danish consumers believe these two labels are identical – resulting in unnecessary food waste. In Europe, more than half of consumers do not know what ‘best before’ means.

70% of respondents say they will throw less food away because of new label saying ‘often good after’

Best before, often good after

Thanks to the Too Good To Go initiative, Arla Foods, Thise, Carlsberg, Unilever, Orkla Foods Denmark and many others have changed the date label on a wide range of products from ‘best before’ to ‘best before, often good after’. The idea is to help consumers think twice and trust their own senses before they throw food away.

According to the results from a survey, the campaign has made a difference. Almost 70% of respondents said they will throw less food away because they now know it may still be edible after the ‘best before’ date.

High raw material waste is a long-standing problem in the manufacture of strained dairy products such as Greek yoghurt and cream cheese. As these products have grown in popularity, the issue has reached new heights, with implications for the environment as well as manufacturer profits.

The challenge lies in the high-volume waste stream – acid whey – which accounts for around two-thirds of the milk that goes in at the beginning of the strained dairy process.

Added-value upgrade

Today, manufacturers have the opportunity to upgrade acid whey to an added-value raw material. And all with the help of another ingredient which, just a few decades ago, was regarded as a waste product itself: whey protein extracted from the whey by-product of cheese production.

Whey used to be seen as waste but Today, it is a valuable resource in the production of nutritional and functional food

Until the 1980s, whey was either spread on fields as a fertiliser, turned into livestock feed or disposed of by other means. That was when Danish scientists discovered whey’s potential as an efficient and natural source of protein. Arla Foods Ingredients and a promising new industry was born.

A powerhouse of benefits

Whey is now known to be a nutritional and functional powerhouse of benefit to consumers right from infancy to old age. Arla Foods Ingredients uses every protein and all other components in whey to help food manufacturers produce more natural, functional and sustainable foods.

That includes the Greek yoghurt manufacturers who can now make 100% use of the milk that goes into their production. Thanks to whey proteins, their acid whey side-stream has become an ideal, calcium-rich base for beverages, dips, desserts and processed cheese.

A consortium of Danish universities and companies are behind a new open innovation food and health lab, which is to rethink food production and consumption and develop new systems for a more sustainable food supply with much less waste.

Called FOODHAY, the 13.8 million Euro research centre is jointly funded by the Danish Education and Research Ministry and the consortium partners – Aarhus University, Copenhagen University, Danish Technology University, Arla Foods and Danish Technological Institute.

From raw material to consumer

The whole food value chain is in focus: to deliver new knowledge and solutions for utilising the side streams of food production; develop processes that increase the nutritional value of foods; identify new, healthier ingredients; create more sustainable packaging solutions, reduce food waste during distribution and consumption; and ensure food products match consumer needs and preferences.

FOODHAY will lead the way in delivering healthier foods and increasing the sustainability of our food systems

In the years ahead, the FOODHAY partners will support research initiatives with a direct impact on Denmark’s ability to deliver new knowledge, technology and food and ingredient solutions to the global consumer.

The ultimate goal is to facilitate the production of innovative, healthy and more sustainable foods. Strengthening business, creating more value for consumers and reducing the negative impact of today’s food systems on the climate.