Food waste is a massive problem that affects people around the globe — and accounts for a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
In our latest episode of the Crazy About Packaging podcast, the C.A.P Pack takes on the topic of food waste: what causes it, what problems arise from food waste, and how we can address it with more thoughtful food packaging and longer shelf life.
Sneak Peek for Episode #7
Check out the latest podcast to hear us talk about food waste and all the ways packaging can help to combat the issue. You can watch or listen on our website or subscribe on Spotify, Apple, or Google. Want a sneak peak? Read on to see some of the key points we cover.
The Facts About Food Waste
Food waste is a complex problem that can quickly get overwhelming to discuss. Where do you even begin? As Natalie puts it, “It’s difficult to conceptualize when you're just thinking about the waste that you generate in your household. You throw away a banana — how bad can it be? But given how many people there are across the globe and the scale of the global food supply chain, it all adds up. And then that's before you even think about how so much of this food never even makes it to people's homes or even the grocery store shelves.”
So as we try to wrap our heads around this massive topic, let’s focus on a few of the facts about food waste:
- The US generated 91 million tons of surplus food in 2021, which equates to 38% of total production
- It's estimated that the food industry loses about 15 billion dollars a year due to food spoilage
- A lot of this food ends up in landfills, and it contributes to the largest component of U.S. municipal solid waste
- The carbon footprint of U.S. food waste is greater than that of the airline industry as unused food in landfills turns into one of the main sources of greenhouse gasses
- 37% of food waste comes from individual households
- If food waste is halved in the next 30 years, the world will avoid emitting at least 10 gigatons of carbon dioxide — equivalent to taking 2,570 coal fire plants offline
Jonathan says, “The statistics are staggering. When I started to do a little research, I was blown away by some of the numbers, not only here in the United States, but the rest of the world. And you start to break that down into different segments: you've got to grow it, you’ve got to pick it, you’ve got to process it, you’ve got to pack it, you've got to ship it. It's got to go through that whole supply chain just to get to either food service or retail. And throughout that whole process, it's not just food waste. You've got all of the economics that are associated with that, all of the waste, everything that goes into those statistics is really — to me — mind blowing.”
Food Insecurity vs. Food Waste
Food waste isn’t just about the environment — although that is part of it. People everywhere are struggling with food insecurity and unable to get enough to eat, despite the fact that the world produces enough food to feed everyone.
As we work to find solutions to these issues, they must be considered in tandem: a packaging solution that is designed solely for recyclability might not preserve the food as long as other solutions. As Mike puts it, “Globally, we need to make some huge significant improvements, and not only from a sustainability standpoint, but feeding people. There's so many packaging solutions and improvements that have been out there for a while, but they're based on sustainability or recyclability and maybe compromise a little as it relates to food insecurity or food waste. And it's really important that we look at both ends of that spectrum. How do we make something that provides the security for food waste, but at the same time still meet our mandate for recyclability and sustainability?”
Fighting Food Waste with Packaging Solutions
Packaging comes with its own challenges, particularly when it comes to public perception. Did you know that 9 out of 10 consumers believe that food packaging waste is worse for the environment than throwing your food away?
But just focusing on sustainability neglects the bigger picture. With the right materials, packaging can actually extend shelf life and reduce food waste. The challenge is finding the balance between protecting the food, the consumer, and the environment. But how do we find the right balance between sustainable food packaging solutions and shelf life?
Food Waste, Food Packaging and Shelf Life
Jonathan explains our experience with designing for this complex issue, “When we were developing our XPP solution, we went ahead and did food packaging and shelf life studies. And with just our basic XPP structures we were able to improve the oxygen transmission rate or the moisture vapor transmission rate by over 90% over regular polypropylene materials. So that in itself translates to a benefit not only to the food processor — who now can get two or three days shelf life, which reduces how many trucks they have to ship and all of the refrigeration until that product is purchased — but it helps continue to drive towards those types of solutions. Innovation in materials is really significant. Look at it from a processing perspective: when you have high acid foods like applesauce, you can extend the shelf life through different processes, either through hot fill or maybe aseptic or modified atmosphere packaging. Which then translates into what we would do as far as designing a structure, not only for sustainability, but to provide that protection of that food, which is so critical to get it from the processor to the end consumer.”
Food packaging is a massive topic, and there’s no one right answer — depending on your food product, you may have different packaging needs. What we’re trying to do is to look at the packaging through a lens that considers food safety and longevity as well as sustainability. It’s a complicated issue, but the industry is making big strides toward new solutions.
Share Your Thoughts on Food Packaging and Shelf Life with the C.A.P. Pack
What are your thoughts on food waste and the best ways to address the problem? We’d love to hear from you! Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram and join the conversation! And be sure to listen and subscribe on Spotify, Apple, Google, or our website.
