Today is
World Food Day. A day where we pay extra
attention to the world’s food supply; and assess what we can do as citizens of
the world to ensure the safe and continuous consumption of one of the most basic
human needs.
According to
recent statistics from the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO),
Approximately 14% of
the food produced for consumption globally each year is lost before reaching
the wholesale market.
The global population is expected to reach
almost 10 billion by 2050, significantly increasing the demand for food.
Unfortunately,
the COVID-19 pandemic has only made matters worse. Estimates by ReFED (a collection of business,
non-profit and government leaders committed to reducing food waste) state that
“in America alone,
$218 billion is spent growing, processing, transporting and
disposing of food that is never eaten. This is equivalent to 1.3% of GDP”. The numbers are startling and paint quite an
alarming picture of the cost of waste today. Rather than treating food waste as a product, maybe it’s time for us to
see waste as a human behavior that needs to be addressed.
The theme
for this year’s World Food Day is “Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together”. One of the important aspects of this theme is
that it ties in with the Circular Economy concept, where the goal is to create
a more sustainable future by minimizing or reusing waste. There are 2 integral ways where both
consumers and packaging companies can play more active roles in reducing food
waste.
1. Understanding the protective use of plastic food packages:
At Winpak, “it’s our nature
to protect” and preserve the wholesomeness of perishable food. The
core purpose of a package is to preserve and protect its contents. A thin sheet of flexible plastic film can be composed
of up to 12 layers, each with a unique function depending on the food application. Maintaining food safety and
extending product shelf-life are great attributes of a plastic package, which
comes in quite handy when transporting food from farm to store.
In
a
publication from Ameripen, it is noted that
properly designed packaging reduces the environmental impact of the food value
chain. Embedded resources like water, grain, processing energy, transportation and refrigeration are lost when food is wasted, not to mention the lost
calories and nutrients that may not reach those in need.
2. Creating sustainable food packaging:
The
term “Sustainable Packaging” has broad meaning at Winpak. As already stated, packaging is intended to
protect its contents in the most efficient manner possible. Secondly, through packaging design, we also enhance cubing potential and reduce shipping
weight, helping reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with transporting
goods.
Winpak
is aligned with the Circular Economy and Sustainable Materials Management
principles embracing the philosophy of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. We
offer recycle ready products which give our
customers a way to do their part. With these packaging innovations, our
customers are ready for the change coming to recycling infrastructure. By producing recycle
ready products to meet the market’s desire to be more sustainable, Winpak is an
active contributor to promoting a Circular Economy outlook.
It will take a collective effort to “Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together”. However, by recognizing the importance of
protective food packaging and treating “waste” as a potential behavior we
should address, each of us can play a small role in protecting and preserving
our food supply.
Author
James Holland
President, Winpak Division & Winpak Films Inc.
Winnipeg, MB Canada
james.holland@winpak.com
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