Food Waste Baseline Determined from Data-Sharing Coalition
A host of consumer goods manufacturers and retailers that includes McCain Foods and Tesco are sharing data in a bid to reduce food waste, and the first findings are now available.
About one-third of all the food produced globally doesn’t get eaten each year, according to the Consumer Goods Forum, which commissioned the report through its Food Waste Coalition of Action.
The CEO-led CGF coalition, which includes 21 of the world’s largest retailers and manufacturers, aims to halve food waste in their businesses by 2030 by halving per capita food waste at the retail and consumer levels and decreasing food loss in production and supply chains.
In addition to providing information, the group noted that reporting also increases transparency, accountability, and consumer trust. To drive this, the report sets a baseline of operational food surplus and waste aggregated data from 16 of the coalition manufacturer and retail members (seven manufacturers and nine retailers).
Max Koeune, president and CEO of McCain Foods and a member of the coalition, said the baseline will not only help measure progress but will also set a pathway for action.
“Since the creation of our coalition in 2020, we have learned how to target, measure, and act, and we now feel able to help other manufacturers and retailers across the industry do the same,” he added.
What the Data Includes
The report draws in both quantitative and qualitative data based upon 2021 data compiled by Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) via its Global Food Surplus and Waste Data Capture Sheet.
Quantitative data includes retail and manufacturer food waste, as well as treatment and disposal routes for food waste, and the amount of food redistributed to people or animal feed. The qualitative data provides a summary of actions taken by participants to set food waste reduction targets, work with suppliers, and support customers to reduce waste.
