Saving food is more efficient than increasing food production

Two international research teams investigated the extent of and reasons for food losses in various regions of the world. The aim of the studies was to gain further knowledge in achieving resource-conserving global food security.

The results obtained by international research teams (Swedish Institute for Food and Biotechnology/University of the Philippines) and commissioned by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations will be presented at the SAVE FOOD congress in Düsseldorf in May.

The studies are part of SAVE FOOD, a joint initiative of the FAO and Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. An international congress on 16 and 17 May 2011 and a special exhibition staged within the context of the leading world trade fair interpack will be focusing on global food losses with the intention of highlighting, among other things, the contributions packaging can make towards safeguarding foods. To this end, the congress is bringing together stakeholders from the food and packaging industries, retail, politics, administration, research and NGOs in Düsseldorf.

According to the FAO, Western consumers also play a key role. As Robert van Otterdijk, FAO Officer for SAVE FOOD explains: “Food commodities are traded at an international market, and waste in one part of the world affects prices in other parts of the world. When food is thrown away in rich countries this affects the availability of food in poor countries.” And he continues: “Since our natural resources such as land, water and energy are limited, it is more effective to reduce food losses than to increase production.”

The congress program will focus on the options open to policy-makers and solution approaches along the food value chain. The challenges for policy-makers, business and society in striving to achieve food security while conserving resources will be highlighted by Ilse Aigner, German Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection. The former executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Prof Klaus Töpfer, will be speaking about food losses between the poles of fighting poverty and creating awareness in affluent societies. Johannes Remmel, Minister of Agriculture of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, will be presenting new strategies for sustainable agriculture. Multinationals like Nestlé and METRO will report on the challenges facing the food and retail industries. Packaging as part of the solution and packaging ideas of the future will be explored by international representatives of this sector (interpack, EUROPEN, Clemson University).

Finding ways to change the ‘throw-away’ mindset of consumers will be discussed by film-maker Valentin Thurn, psychologist Stephan Grünewald and the activist Selina Juul, founder of the Danish initiative ‘Stop Wasting Food’. FAO consultants describe possibilities to improve the infrastructure and develop the processing and packaging industry in low-income countries. Shraddha Shridhar Jadhav, Mayor of Mumbai, has been invited to speak on the topic of food supplies in megacities. Best practices will be presented by, among others, Albis, Bosch, Cofresco, Danone, the ‘die Dosenköche’ initiative, FEFCO, Multivac, Rexam and VDMA.

“Our engagement in the SAVE FOOD initiative is unique in the trade fair landscape,” says Werner M Dornscheidt, President and CEO of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. “We are, of course, looking at the entire food value chain, but together with our partner, the FAO, we will be focusing especially on possible solutions from the packaging industry, the significance of which has been confirmed once again by the results of the studies.” With its interpack product family, Messe Düsseldorf has an especially high level of international expertise to offer, emphasises Dornscheidt.

The SAVE FOOD special exhibition on the open-air space of the Messe Düsseldorf exhibition grounds will also reflect the topics covered by the congress. In the Best Practice Area, companies and trade associations will be presenting innovative solution approaches. And, in cooperation with METRO AG, the Sustainable Food Court catering area will be showing responsible ways of handling food in everyday catering practice.

SAVE FOOD is sponsored by ALBIS PLASTIC GmbH, Bosch Packaging Technology GmbH, Cofresco Frischhalteprodukte GmbH & Co KG, DANONE GmbH, FEFCO (European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers), Hydro Aluminium Rolled Products GmbH, IK (the German industry association of plastic packaging manufacturers), the ‘Die Dosenköche’ initiative, METRO AG, Multivac Sepp Haggenmüller GmbH & Co KG, Rexam Beverage Can Berlin GmbH and VDMA (the German Engineering Federation).