REDUCING FOOD
LOSSES AND WASTE
CO-AUTHORED WITH
Nicola Jenkin, Director at Pinpoint Sustainability and Research Associate at the Sustainability Institute
WHAT IS FOOD WASTE?
FOOD WASTE IS FOOD THAT HAS GONE THROUGH THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN
WHICH GETS DISCARDED DESPITE BEING FIT FOR CONSUMPTION.
FOOD WASTE IS FOOD THAT HAS GONE THROUGH THE FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN WHICH GETS DISCARDED DESPITE BEING FIT FOR CONSUMPTION.
WASTE CAN OCCUR FROM AS EARLY AS AT FARM LEVEL AND
CONTINUE RIGHT THROUGH TO THE CONSUMER LEVEL.
WASTE CAN OCCUR FROM AS EARLY AS AT FARM LEVEL AND CONTINUE RIGHT THROUGH TO THE CONSUMER LEVEL.
WHY FOOD WASTE NEEDS TO BE REDUCED
Reducing food losses and waste is a critical part of making food systems more sustainable and resultantly more resilient, which will help promote a more affordable and healthier food offering for consumers, in line with the European Union’s Farm to Fork strategy.
The Virtuous Cycle approach supports this goal fully by:
PART 1
Ensuring a Traceable Value Chain from Farm to Fork
through Value Chain Visualisation.
Reducing food losses and waste is a critical part of making food systems more sustainable and resultantly more resilient, which will help promote a more affordable and healthier food offering for consumers, in line with the European Union’s Farm to Fork strategy.
The Virtuous Cycle approach supports this goal fully by:
PART 1
Ensuring a Traceable Value Chain from Farm to Fork through Value Chain Visualisation.
PART 2
Reducing Food Losses and Waste
by Identifying and Eliminating Waste.
PART 3
Bringing it All Together Using the Virtuous Cycle to Drive Affordable Food
via Sustainable Food Production, Distribution and Consumption.
PART 2
Reducing Food Losses and Waste
by Identifying and Eliminating Waste.
PART 3
Bringing it All Together Using the Virtuous Cycle to Drive Affordable Food via Sustainable Food Production, Distribution and Consumption.
FOOD LOSS / WASTE
PART 2
IDENTIFYING AND
ELIMINATING WASTE
FOOD LOSSES AND
WASTE REDUCTION
THE OVERARCHING PROBLEM
Food waste often goes undetected or unaddressed because the quantum of losses and waste in the broader picture is not properly understood. Without a clear understanding of all the contributing factors, food waste cannot be reduced or prevented.
Ultimately, the cost of waste is factored into final food prices to compensate for losses.
RECENT FIGURES ESTIMATED BY THE CSIR
RECENT FIGURES
ESTIMATED BY THE CSIR
A CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) study1 has
revealed that 10.3 million tonnes of food and beverages are wasted each
year in South Africa, about a third of the food available.
PERCENTAGE LOSSES AT EACH STAGE
OF THE VALUE CHAIN ARE AS FOLLOWS
PERCENTAGE LOSSES AT EACH STAGE OF THE VALUE CHAIN ARE AS FOLLOWS
PERCENTAGE FOOD WASTE QUANTITIES PER COMMODITY GROUP
(ALONG ALL STAGES OF THE VALUE CHAIN)
PERCENTAGE FOOD WASTE QUANTITIES PER COMMODITY GROUP (ALONG ALL STAGES OF THE VALUE CHAIN)
Furthermore, the environment also suffers as discarded food ultimately rots, producing methane gas which contributes to climate change. In addition, approximately a quarter of all the water used for agriculture is indirectly lost through food waste every year.
ALARMING STATISTICS | SOUTH AFRICA
Financial and environmental issues associated with food waste are further compounded by the
social context within which food waste is happening in South Africa. Edible, nutritious surplus
food could be distributed to those in need, or converted into secondary products, such as oils,
soups and sauces.
Financial and environmental issues associated with food waste are further compounded by the social context within which food waste is happening in South Africa. Edible, nutritious surplus food could be distributed to those in need, or converted into secondary products, such as oils, soups and sauces.
SOCIAL FACTS
20% OF SOUTH AFRICA’S HOUSEHOLDS
HAVE INADEQUATE ACCESS TO FOOD.3
THE CHALLENGE
REDUCING FOOD LOSSES AND
WASTE THROUGHOUT THE VALUE CHAIN
On 29 September 2020, the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) launched the South African Food Loss and
Waste Voluntary Agreement. The agreement (developed by CGCSA in partnership with the Department of Trade, Industry
and Competition (DTIC) and the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) and co-funded by the
European Union through the SA-EU Dialogue Facility) intends to respond to this urgent challenge through a public,
collaborative declaration of intent to reduce food and beverage waste and redistribute or enable markets for nutritious
surplus food.
View South Africa’s Food Loss and Waste Voluntary Agreement
To date, some of South Africa’s main retailers and food manufacturers have signed the agreement.
This means they have committed to:
On 29 September 2020, the Consumer Goods Council of South Africa (CGCSA) launched the South African Food Loss and Waste Voluntary Agreement. The agreement (developed by CGCSA in partnership with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) and the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) and co-funded by the European Union through the SA-EU Dialogue Facility) intends to respond to this urgent challenge through a public, collaborative declaration of intent to reduce food and beverage waste and redistribute or enable markets for nutritious surplus food.
View South Africa’s Food Loss and Waste Voluntary Agreement
To date, some of South Africa’s main retailers and food manufacturers have signed the agreement.
This means they have committed to:
Reducing food waste
in South Africa by
50% by 2030.
Adopting the food utilisation hierarchy (which prioritises food waste reduction) and secondly the redistribution of edible, nutritious surplus food for human consumption and enabling secondary markets for surplus food.
Identifying food surplus and waste management solutions that respond to a circular economy and sustainable food systems agenda.
THE SOLUTION
IDENTIFY AND REDUCE OR ELIMINATE WASTE
THROUGH THE FIVE VIRTUOUS CYCLE STEPS
AND THEIR VARIOUS DATA SOLUTIONS AND TOOLSETS.
Once the problem areas are identified and understood they can be
quantified and the proper interventions can occur.
VISUALISATION
A complete view of the value chain enables you to see
and understand potential areas of waste.
A complete view of the value chain enables you to see and understand potential areas of waste.
COST OF SALES FOCUS
Through Value Chain Reengineering
Now you can quantify costs and reengineer your
processes to reduce losses and drive efficiencies up.
Now you can quantify costs and reengineer your processes to reduce losses and drive efficiencies up.
EXPAND BUSINESS IMPACT
To The Top Line
By investing extracted value chain efficiencies in the
right place, you can start reducing losses and costs.
By investing extracted value chain efficiencies in the right place, you can start reducing losses and costs.
SCALE SOLUTION
Next, you can scale your findings to multiply value benefits
across multiple product categories. For example,
techniques used to reduce losses in one fruit can be applied
to the entire fruit family, whether that be improvements
made to the processing, transport or storing process.
Next, you can scale your findings to multiply value benefits across multiple product categories. For example, techniques used to reduce losses in one fruit can be applied to the entire fruit family, whether that be improvements made to the processing, transport or storing process.
INVEST BACK INTO THE VALUE CHAIN
Smart capital investment back into the value chain that
leverages the knowledge gained can further reduce losses
which will benefit people and the environment.
Smart capital investment back into the value chain that leverages the knowledge gained can further reduce losses which will benefit people and the environment.
The term hotspot is used in the food waste landscape to refer to areas along or within the value
chain with the greatest negative impact. This could be within a singular product’s value chain,
or it could be the largest area of significance within a business’s product or brand portfolio.
Once the hotspots have been identified they can be investigated to determine the causes of
waste, whether it be technical or behavioural, for example. Solutions can then be created for
and focused on these areas to drive cost reduction and reduce environmental impact.
The term hotspot is used in the food waste landscape to refer to areas along or within the value chain with the greatest negative impact. This could be within a singular product’s value chain, or it could be the largest area of significance within a business’s product or brand portfolio. Once the hotspots have been identified they can be investigated to determine the causes of waste, whether it be technical or behavioural, for example. Solutions can then be created for and focused on these areas to drive cost reduction and reduce environmental impact.
SOURCES:
1. Oelofse, S. et al. (2021). Increasing Reliable, Scientific Data and Information on Food Losses and Waste in South Africa
2. IPC. (2021). South Africa Impact of COVID-19 on Food Security
3. Statistics South Africa. (2019). The Extent of Food Security in South Africa
