Jerry Black’s Post

🌱 Unveiling Materiality: Assessing the Impact of Food Waste 🍽️📊 Today, let's delve into the critical process of materiality assessment, focusing specifically on its application to the complex issue of food waste. In an era where sustainability is paramount, understanding the material impacts of food waste is essential for informed decision-making and effective resource allocation. 🔍 Defining Materiality in Food Waste: Materiality refers to the significance or relevance of an issue to stakeholders, both internal and external, based on its potential economic, environmental, and social impacts. When applied to food waste, materiality assessment helps organizations identify and prioritize actions to minimize waste across the value chain. 📈 Quantifying the Impact: Economic Considerations: Food waste carries significant economic implications for businesses, including lost revenue from unsold inventory, increased disposal costs, and missed opportunities for resource optimization. Environmental Footprint: The environmental impact of food waste extends beyond the landfill, encompassing greenhouse gas emissions, water usage, and land degradation associated with production, transportation, and disposal. Social Responsibility: Addressing food waste aligns with social responsibility goals, as it contributes to food security, reduces hunger, and minimizes the disparities in access to nutritious food. 🔄 Navigating the Assessment Process: Stakeholder Engagement: Involving stakeholders from various sectors, including consumers, suppliers, and community organizations, is essential for understanding diverse perspectives and identifying material issues related to food waste. Data Collection and Analysis: Gathering comprehensive data on food waste generation, disposal methods, and associated costs allows for a thorough assessment of material impacts and the identification of hotspots along the value chain. Risk Assessment: Assessing the risks posed by food waste, such as reputational damage, regulatory non-compliance, and supply chain disruptions, helps prioritize mitigation efforts and allocate resources effectively. 🌿 Driving Action and Accountability: Materiality assessment serves as a catalyst for action, guiding organizations in developing targeted strategies, setting measurable targets, and monitoring progress towards food waste reduction goals. By embedding materiality into business practices, companies can enhance their resilience, competitiveness, and contribution to sustainable development. Let's continue to elevate the conversation around food waste materiality assessment, recognizing its pivotal role in shaping a more sustainable and resilient food system. Together, we can drive meaningful change and create a world where every meal counts. 🌎🍴 #FoodWaste #MaterialityAssessment #Sustainability #EnvironmentalImpact #SocialResponsibility #StakeholderEngagement #CircularEconomy #BusinessStrategy

Reducing food waste can help to cut down on these emissions, feed those who are hungry and improve food security. Food waste experts tell Carbon Brief that “Food Loss & Waste” remains a “major issue”. There are a range of solutions to tackle the problem, they say, but more action is needed to put such actions in place. This in-depth Q&A outlines why wasted food causes emissions, why it has become such a big issue and how countries and companies plan to slash waste in the years ahead.

Did you know that households waste more than 10 million tons of food every year? This means that we are contributing to our food crisis. But reducing food waste isn't just about being responsible - it can also lead to significant cost savings. It's not about how much we produce, but rather how we spend. By raising awareness and taking action, we can make a positive impact on our environment and our wallets. Let's work together to reduce food waste and create a more sustainable future. #foodwaste #sustainability Mariam MOHAMMAD Aleya Pervin Shahriar A MY Khaled

🌍 Addressing the Global Issue of Food Waste: A Factual Overview Food waste is a critical global issue, impacting the environment, economy, and society. Despite increased sustainability efforts, a significant portion of food produced for human consumption remains unconsumed, leading to extensive waste. 🌐 Global Scale of Food Waste: 🇬🇧 In the UK, 25% of agricultural produce is wasted, resulting in a £1.8 billion annual loss. 🇺🇸 The US sees 30% of its food supply wasted each year, amounting to a $218 billion loss. 📊 Globally, 20-40% of agricultural production is wasted, according to WWF and FAO reports. Primary Causes of Food Waste: 💹 Economic factors like price volatility and labor costs. 🏗️ Inadequate infrastructure, especially in developing countries. 🛒 Consumer and retail preferences leading to the discarding of edible food. Innovations in Agricultural Technology: 🌱 Kern Tech develops sustainable ingredients from upcycled stone fruit pits. 🍏 Bene-Bono aims to reduce waste by selling produce usually rejected by retailers. ⏳ Strella Biotechnology and It’s Fresh! work on extending the shelf life of food products. 🤖 Fieldworks Robotics addresses labor shortages in agriculture through automation. Government Initiatives: 🇪🇺 The EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy targets halving food waste by 2030. 🇺🇸 The USDA and EPA in the US aim for a 50% reduction in food waste by 2030. Challenges and Future Directions: 🌉 Enhancing global infrastructure is essential for reducing food waste. 🔄 Changing cultural and consumer behaviors is crucial. 💡 Encouraging the adoption of new agricultural technologies. Tackling food waste requires a multifaceted approach, including technological innovation, policy reform, and changes in consumer behavior. It's vital for creating more sustainable and efficient food systems globally. Read more here -> https://lnkd.in/epkbFVxk #FoodWaste #Sustainability #AgTech #GlobalChallenge #EnvironmentalImpact #EconomicLoss #Innovation #Agriculture

Food waste is a global issue with far-reaching environmental consequences. From the greenhouse gas emissions produced during food production to the wasted resources and landfill contributions, the impact of food waste on the planet cannot be understated. Food waste spans from industrial to individual levels, influenced by various factors including purchasing habits, excess production, retail standards, convenience, and cost. Its impact extends across all dimensions of sustainability: environmental, economic, and social, affecting communities globally. Furthermore, food waste significantly contributes to the broader challenge of climate change. Solutions for food waste are imperative, engaging stakeholders across various scales, from large corporations to small communities. While innovators in the science and technology sectors have made strides in addressing food waste, there remains ample room for further progress. https://lnkd.in/dtpxfAG6

📝🚮 UNEP releases latest report on food waste. The UN Environment Programme's Food Waste Index Report 2024 builds upon the previous report's foundation by expanding data points, providing more robust global and national estimates, and offering enhanced guidance on measurement methodologies. This report marks a transition from solely measuring food waste to exploring solutions for its reduction. It also highlights the importance of public-private partnerships in tackling food waste globally. The report aims to catalyze action towards reducing food waste and achieving Sustainable Development Goal 12.3 by providing a comprehensive understanding of the issue and establishing a baseline for tracking progress. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/dRdbXsFz #ForwardFooding #foodwaste #foodindustry #pollution #sustainability #foodsystems

The fourth annual Food Waste Action Week will take place on 18th - 24th March 2024 March Food Waste Action Week is a vital initiative in the global fight against food waste. By raising awareness, promoting behavioural change, engaging businesses, advocating for policy change, and fostering collaboration, this event empowers individuals and organisations to contribute to a more sustainable and equitable food system. Through collective action, we can work towards a future where food is valued, not wasted, and where everyone has access to nutritious and affordable meals. Environmental Impact: Food waste contributes significantly to environmental degradation. When food ends up in landfills, it decomposes anaerobically, producing methane, a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change. Additionally, resources such as water, energy, and land are used to produce, transport, and dispose of wasted food, further exacerbating environmental strain. Social and Economic Implications: Beyond environmental concerns, food waste has profound social and economic consequences. In a world where millions suffer from hunger and malnutrition, wasting food is ethically unacceptable. Moreover, food waste represents a squandering of resources and economic loss throughout the supply chain, impacting farmers, producers, retailers, and consumers alike. Food Waste Action Week facilitates partnerships between governments, businesses, non profits, and communities to coordinate efforts, share best practices, and mobilise resources for collective action. To discuss Food Waste Management, contact us today on: 📞0203 146 0722 📧[email protected] http://🌐www.cddlrecycling.co.uk CDDL Recycling operate a 100% landfill diversion policy. #food #recycle #hosptitality

part 2/3 🌟 Major Announcement! 🌟 #WASHINGTON: June 12, 2024 - USDA, #EPA, FDA, and the #WhiteHouse unveiled the National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and Recycling Organics. This initiative is part of President Biden (Biden Foundation’s) comprehensive approach to combat climate change, promote environmental justice, feed people, and foster a circular economy. The strategy outlines tangible goals for government partners, retailers, and consumers to: 1-Prevent food loss and waste 2-Increase recycling of food and other organic materials 3-Reduce GHG emissions 4-Save money for households and businesses 5-Build cleaner, healthier communities Key Highlights: #USDA's Commitment: Engaging farmers, producers, communities, and businesses in efforts to reduce food loss and waste by 50% by 2030. #EPA’s Role: Implementing actions to reduce waste, protect the environment, improve food security, and save money for families and businesses. #FDA’s Efforts: Providing resources and incentives for food loss and waste prevention and organics recycling. EPA Research Insights: Food waste contributes 58% of methane emissions from landfills. Reducing food waste can significantly cut #GHG emissions, equivalent to the emissions from 60 coal-fired power plants annually. #foodwaste Objectives of the Strategy: 1-Prevent food loss. 2-Prevent food waste. 3-Increase recycling rates for organic waste. 4-Support policies that incentivize prevention and recycling. USDA's Actions: *Investing $2.5 million to test consumer messages for reducing food waste. *Funding a $1.5 million Center for Research on Food Loss and Waste. *Developing new packaging technology and cultivars to extend food shelf life. *Encouraging on-farm food loss reduction with farmers and gleaning organizations. Public-Private Partnerships: Renewed #MOU with the Food Waste Reduction Alliance, including Starbucks, Hilton Foods, and Kroger, to cut food waste by 50% by 2030. For more information, visit: https://lnkd.in/eKk9y4fj Join us in this critical effort to create a sustainable, equitable, and circular food system! 🌍💚 #Sustainability #FoodWaste #ClimateAction #CircularEconomy #EnvironmentalJustice #IFT

While 783 million people are hungry, we waste 1 billion meals a day, at a cost of $1 trillion a year.  The second annual International Day of Zero Waste (this Saturday 30th March) was marked yesterday by the launch of UNEP's Food Waste Index Report 2024, which provides global estimates on food waste at retail and consumer levels. Addressing food waste is crucial for achieving zero waste and combating the climate crisis. The report builds upon its predecessor by incorporating expanded data points, enhancing measurement methodologies, and transitioning to focus on solutions for food waste reduction. It highlights the importance of waste management, sustainable consumption, and production patterns in addressing global challenges such as climate change and pollution. As we've said before, food waste is a moral and market failure that must be addressed collaboratively to achieve our SDG obligations. The report highlights the success of public private partnerships in tackling the issue and calls for targeted efforts in urban areas and international collaboration among countries and across supply chains. https://lnkd.in/euj2VKxZ #unsdg12.3 #foodlossandwaste #unsdg2 #zerohunger Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Ireland, Ossian Smyth Aoibheann O'Brien Iseult Ward CULTIVATE Jennifer Attard Tracey O. Brian Quirke Anna Davies MyWaste Ireland's Official Guide to Waste VOICE Ireland Abi O'Callaghan Platt Tad Kirakowski