3.3.13

PG04 : A campaign for restaurant food waste.

Here’s an alternative strategy on the sustainability front. Bring your own bag and/or reusable container to stash your takeout burger.

A nonprofit coalition has launched an awareness campaign called TakeOutWithOut that aims to reduce restaurant waste. It urges people to ‘Say NO to unnecessary packaging. Fill your stomach. Not the landfill.’

The group, led by K.B. Lee, president of Ever Bamboo, suggests that consumers bring their own reusable containers when picking up their takeout foods, and to pass on the plastic utensils and especially the Styrofoam. Lee’s company imports and markets eco-friendly bamboo-charcoal filter products. He’s teamed up with Borden Communications and Design, a Toronto-based design firm specializing in ‘eco-logical’ services that designed and produced the campaign graphics.

Lee says ‘the constant use of styrofoam aggravates me more and more everyday.’ After he founded Ever Bamboo, he says, he became ‘more and more aware of the dangers and excess of packaging surrounding me.’

The TakeOutWithOut campaign website points out that the American population tosses out enough paper bags and plastic cups, forks and spoons every year to circle the equator 300 times (www.cleanair.org).

Refuse. Retake. Reconsider.

The campaign offers its own version of the 3 R’s, urging consumers to refuse unnecessary stuff (unneeded packaging), retake their own reusables (containers, straws, cutlery, mugs, bottles, and even their own bag), and reconsider their habits (adopt healthier eating strategies).

Well, many of us have gotten used to the idea of bringing our own bags to the grocery store, I guess we could take this next step. Something to think about…

For more insights and innovations check out CultureWaves®, the place to go for the latest observations in the World Thought Bank – events, ideas, trends and more. Add your own thoughts about anything in life – entertainment, design, technology, well-being and, yes, food. And, take a look at a few of our other Hot & Cool Trends.

Have you seen an innovative product that will impact our food lives in the future? Let us know at Editor.

PG04 : A new campaign for global food waste crisis

Industry disappointed by packaging exclusion from food waste campaign

Liz Gyekye January 23, 2013 No Comments »

Industry experts have said they are disappointed that the role of packaging in helping to reduce food waste has not been mentioned in a new anti-food waste programme

Yesterday (22 January) the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and partners launched a new campaign to tackle the global food waste crisis.

The Think.Eat.Save. Reduce Your Foodprint campaign – supported by the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), Feeding the 5000 and other partners, including national governments – hopes to ‘dramatically cut’ the 1.3 billion tonnes of food lost or wasted each year and help ‘shape a sustainable future’ by educating consumers, retailers and the hospitality industry on the steps it can take to prevent wasteful habits.

Packaging exclusion

Food Service Packaging Association director Martin Kersch toldPN: “The central message on food waste is 100% right. The use of the excellent material from Wrap’s Love Food Hate Waste campaign is terrific and good to see Wrap recognised for their work in such an influential forum but sad to see the role of packaging in helping to reduce food waste has not been mentioned.

“This surely would have given a boost to the packaging industry with regard to developing further new solutions to protect food and extend its shelf life while using resources even more effectively.”

Incpen director Jane Bickerstaffe added: “It’s good to see food waste being tackled by these important bodies but it’s a shame they haven’t appreciated that one of the most helpful solutions to the problem is packaging. Just shows how much harder Incpen will have to work to explain that packaging makes a really positive contribution to sustainable development.”

The new campaign came about after the Rio+20 Summit in June 2012 saw Heads of State and governments commit to a 10-Year Framework of Programmes for Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Patterns to sustain the world’s food production base, reduce associated environmental impacts, and feed a growing human population.

As well as providing tips to consumers and retailers to ‘accelerate action’ (such as buying ‘funny’, misshapen fruit and veg), the campaign also provides an information-sharing platform for those running campaigns to exchange ideas and create, what it calls, “a truly global culture of sustainable consumption of food”.

“In the UK we have shown how tackling food waste through engaging with consumers and establishing collective agreement with retailers and brands, reduces environmental pressures and aids economic growth,” said Wrap chief executive Liz Goodwin.

She added: “With a rising population, even more pressure is going to be put on resources, and we are excited to be a partner in UNEP and FAO’s Think. Eat. Save. campaign, which is a great start to tackling food waste on a global scale.”

“In the EU we have set ourselves a target to halve edible food waste by 2020 and to virtually eliminate landfilling by 2020; the Commission is planning to present ideas next year on the sustainability of the food system which will have a strong focus on food waste,” said Janez Potočnik, European Commissioner for the Environment.

He explained: “Less food waste would lead to more-efficient land use, better water resource management, more sustainable use of phosphorus, and it would have positive repercussions on climate change. Our work fits perfectly with the launch of this initiative.”

http://www.packagingnews.co.uk/news/industry-stalwarts-express-disappointment-over-packaging-exclusion-from-new-anti-food-waste-programme/

PG04 : Plastic bag gives info how to keep food longer

food waste

At The Co-operative we know it’s important to help you and your family plan your shop and store your food to ensure the pennies stretch.

Our friends at Love Food Hate Waste estimate that if a family cuts out food waste at home they could save up to £50 a month! Find out some of their top tips here >

What is the Co-operative doing to help you reduce food waste?

The Co-operative Food is working hard to help you keep your food fresh for longer. For example, we were the first to put instructions which tell you how to store fruit and veg on the bags you select yourself to put them in.

We've introduced clear and concise storage instructions on fruit and vegetables packs and we’re constantly looking at our packaging to extend the freshness of products. To find out how you can get the most out of the food youbuy click here

We’re also seeking to reduce food waste in our stores and depots. Where food waste is unavoidable, we work with thecharity Fareshare who take away food which we cannot sell in store and turn it into meals for vulnerable people.

Find out how our commitment to reducing food waste fits into our Ethical Plan here

What can you do at home to reduce food waste?

There are many little changes which can be made to help reduce food waste at home.

Looking carefully at storage instructions can help you make sure food lasts as long as possible, giving you longer to eat it. The Co-operative is helping you by including a new logo on fresh fruit and vegetable packs which lets you know where they would be best stored to preserve freshness and quality.

Using a shopping list and meal planners can help you save time and money. Check out our recipe pages where you’ll find lots of great ideas for planned meals.

Love Food Hate Waste also have a meal planner and shopping list online which you can use to help you and a tool for getting your portions right.

Food waste facts

UK households throw away 7.2m tonnes of food each year. This is equal to 1/5 of the food we buy.
More than 60% of this could have been eaten.
This is equal to £480 per year for each household and £680 per year for each household with children, and has the same environmental impact as 1/5 of the cars on UK roads.
About 25% of the food that is thrown away and that could have been eaten, is fresh fruit & vegetables

Sources

“New estimates for household food & drink waste in the UK”, WRAP 2011

“Household Food & Drink Waste in the UK”, WRAP 2009

PG04 : A humorous approach example and an article

Humorous approach will be a nice way to remember to the public

Reducing food waste

09/02/2009

The next phase of the Go Greener campaign kicks off today with advice for hard-pressed families on how to enjoy the food they buy, save money and help save the planet by reducing food waste.

Fronted by Mr Earth, the 'Go Greener' campaign will be using radio, outdoor and online advertising to highlight that the average family could save up to £410 each year by making use of food that would otherwise have been thrown away.

Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said:

"Unless we take decisive action now to protect our environment there is every chance that rather than passing on our wonderful heritage, we will have to explain to our children why we ruined it.

"Recent years have seen a growing awareness of the need to change our ways, including recycling more, being more energy-efficient and leaving the car at home.

"Today's see a fresh drive to raise awareness of the benefits, both to the planet and to people's pockets, of ensuring food isn't thrown away, through our Mr Earth character, already a familiar face on the nation's billboards and TV screens.

"The figures on the financial value of how much we waste are staggering, and particularly relevant with Scotland in recession and many hard pressed families feeling the pinch.

"And of course, there is an environmental cost to wasted food ending up as landfill, releasing methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, which should not be underestimated. Around a third of what we buy ends up in the bin.

"There are a number of easy ways to save food from the bin, including proper storage, thinking about portion sizes, planning meals and using leftovers to make another meal.

"We owe it to future generations and our wallets today to take action now and I would urge everyone to go to www.infoscotland.com/gogreener

to go greener."

Key facts on waste food include:

The average Scottish household wastes £410 of food every year
Nearly £889 million worth of food is thrown out by Scottish households every year
The above amount of food wasted equates to a 50 litre bin of food needlessly thrown out
57 per cent of all food waste could have been used if managed and sorted better
If all Scottish households stopped wasting food, it would have an environmental impact equal to taking one in four cars off the road
Eight per cent of the food we throw away is still in date
23 per cent of the food thrown away every year is still in its packaging or whole

Reducing waste is one of the simple yet effective actions the Scottish Government is promoting as part of its 'Go Greener' campaign.

PG04 : Food facts

Food facts from Love Food Hate Waste

PG04 : Food Waste Statistics

Food Waste Statistics

Every year in the UK 18 million tonnes of food end up in landfill.

Approx 1/3 from producers/ supply chain, 1/3 from retail and 1/3 from households
Annual value : £23 BILLION [and rising rapidly due to soaring prices]
Massive environmental damage and landfill costs to dispose
Many people, groups and families on low incomes/ poverty unable to afford "healthy" foods [and rising rapidly due to soaring prices/ fuel costs etc]
"Food Poverty" and widespread poor health resulting – contributing dually in mal-nutrition and obesity levels
Disposal costs to business passed on to consumers in higher prices, landfill costs in local taxes – less income

For more details you may like to visit the excellent Love Food Hate Waste website

http://www.foodawarecic.org.uk/food-waste-statistics.htm