Working together can reduce food waste, packaging: study
Managing life cycle of plastic more efficiently is key, expert says
Packaging is necessary to prevent food, particularly perishables and delicate produce, from being lost or wasted as it makes its way to people’s homes.
But there are ways for producers, distributors, retailers, consumers and governments to work together to minimize packaging and make sure that it is properly managed and recycled.
Those are the preliminary findings of a study, commissioned by the National Zero Waste Council and released at a Zero Waste Conference in Vancouver on Wednesday, that looks at how packaging affects the amount of food wasted along the supply chain in Canada.
“In a world increasingly aware of the impacts of plastic, as well as a linear approach to extraction and disposal of various other materials, there is a growing concern that packaging needs to be changed, reduced or eliminated,” said James Downham, vice-chairman of the National Zero Waste Council.
According to Value Chain Management International (VCMI), which is conducting the study, almost 60 per cent of the food produced and distributed in Canada is never eaten — about 35 million tonnes each year. Thirty-two per cent of that loss and waste is avoidable, and has a value of more than $49 billion.
“There is a relationship between food that is not packaged and the incidence of loss and waste,” said VCMI CEO Martin Gooch. “In North America, the greatest loss and waste occurs in that food where it’s less likely to be packaged.”
Gooch said VCMI has conducted extensive research and is now in the midst of collecting information for the study through an industry survey. Thus far, the organization has received 164 responses from government, the food industry, packaging industry, recyclers and manufacturers.
The survey has found that packaging cannot be eliminated completely, and that plastic is generally deemed the most effective kind of packaging when it comes to reducing food waste — more so than cardboard, paper, glass or metal — by making food easier to ship and store, and helping it to last longer.
For instance, according to Ron Lemaire, president of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association, wrapping plastic around a cucumber can extend its shelf life by up to two weeks. He also said that eliminating the plastic clamshells in which berries are sold would result in 100,000 tonnes of waste each year.
“If we get rid of plastic, we as a society have an enormous problem on our hands. It’s not getting rid of plastic, it’s how you manage the plastic life cycle more efficiently,” Gooch said.
Inconsistent composting and recycling programs and regulations, consumer behaviour, resistance from industry and suppliers, lack of infrastructure and cost are some of the barriers to dealing with packaging, according to the survey results thus far.
Lemaire said the whole supply system needs to be examined, and industry and governments need to ensure they are working together to overcome the challenges.
Tom Rosser, assistant deputy minister with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, agreed.
“We need to realize that we have a collective responsibility to try and find solutions, and pointing fingers is almost never the most constructive way forward,” said Rosser.
Gooch said VCMI aims to have a final report, with recommendations, complete early in the new year.