International efforts are being ramped up to develop sustainable food systems and reduce the huge amount of waste generated by the industry.
The FReSH project, led by the World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD) and the Eat Foundation, is part of the movement working to reshape production and consumption habits.
To achieve UN Sustainable Development Goal number 2 – to zero hunger – by 2030 – action needs to be taken to tackle food waste, with a staggering 1.3 billion tons of food thrown out globally every year. The Food Waste Erased report released earlier this year by American NGO, Energy Vision, outlined some of the strategies governments and businesses should be implementing.
And it is one of the issues being addressed by the FReSH project. International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF) joined the initiative this week to specifically focus on this aspect of ‘transforming the global food system’.
“One-third of food produced is lost or wasted, amounting to about 1.3 billion tons annually, with a global cost of more than $400 billion. IFF is deeply connected with the global food industry, and we are committed to finding sustainable and responsible solutions that will lead to a regenerative, abundant and healthy world,” said Dr Gregory Yep, IFF EVP, Chief Global Scientific & Sustainability Officer.
“As part of this collaboration, we have an excellent opportunity to work with partners and peers who are as committed to creating improved pathways and accelerating transformational change as we are at IFF. We thank WBCSD and EAT for creating this phenomenal partnership and we look forward to pushing the boundaries to ensure more people have access to healthy, affordable and sustainably produced food.”
IFF will channel its efforts to the platform’s food loss and waste work stream, as this is in line with its commitment to promote products made using circular economy business models.
“We are pleased to welcome IFF to FReSH and to integrate IFF’s leadership and commitment into the Food Loss and Waste workstream,” added Peter Bakker, WBCSD CEO.
Find out how can you help reduce food waste.
