FDBusiness.com

The issue of food waste has become a pressing global concern due to its far-reaching environmental implications. One-third of all food produced worldwide is lost or wasted between production and consumers, that’s 24% of the world’s food supply going to waste even while 1 in 10 globally remain malnourished. Even worse, the waste is expected to double in the next few decades based on current trends. So, the importance of addressing food waste really cannot be overstated. Advanced packaging can play an important part in the fight against this food waste, by offering ways to extend the shelf life of products. By introducing food packaging practices that focus on recycling and composting, the industry can effectively reduce its negative impact on the environment while ensuring food products stay fresher for longer.

The Global Food Waste Problem and Its Impact on the Environment

Food waste is a significant global problem with about 1.3 billion tons of food wasted every year throughout the supply chain. When this food is wasted, all the resources that go into producing and packaging it are also wasted. Food waste is also a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to environmental degradation. Addressing food waste can help improve food security and reduce the pressure on agricultural land and natural resources. However, reducing food waste can have economic benefits too by saving money for producers and retailers, which can be passed on to consumers. In summary, addressing food waste is crucial for creating a safe and sustainable food system that can support the needs of the growing global population.

How Advanced Packaging Solutions Can Reduce Food Waste

To understand the impact advanced packaging solutions could have on the global waste problem we first need to understand the problem. Then the role of advanced packaging can be examined along with possible frameworks and actionable takeaways. But perhaps the best method to help understand the impact of packaging solutions is to look at some case studies.

Understanding this is a global problem is the first step towards understanding how food waste impacts the environment and inevitably leads to economic losses. One of the major contributors to global food waste is improper single-use packaging that fails to protect food from spoilage. Advanced packaging solutions use the latest technology and innovative materials to extend the shelf life of food products by maintaining the quality and freshness of food for longer by reducing spoilage and therefore waste. Technology frameworks for the reduction of food waste include modified atmosphere packaging, vacuum packaging, and intelligent or smart packaging.
● Modified atmosphere packaging or MAP adjusts the atmosphere inside the packaging to slow down the ripening process.
● Vacuum packaging removes air from the packaging to slow down the growth of bacteria.
● Intelligent packaging incorporates sensors and indicators into food packaging to monitor and provide real-time information about the condition of the food.
Choose the packaging that suits the specific needs of the food product and encourage consumers to follow storage guidelines to maximize the product’s shelf life.

Advanced Packaging Solutions Case Studies

The adoption of advanced packaging solutions has proved successful for many organizations around the world. Some notable examples include:
● Yume Food Australia: Utilized advanced packaging solutions including vacuum sealing and MAP to extend the shelf life of their food products successfully diverting thousands of kilograms of food waste from landfill.
● Woolworths: One of Australia’s largest supermarket chains, Woolworths implemented advanced packaging solutions such as intelligent sensors and temperature-controlled packaging to reduce food waste by ensuring food products remain fresh throughout the distribution network. Woolworths has been able to greatly reduce food spoilage and waste.
● Walmart: The global retail giant invested in advanced packaging solutions including a partnership with IBM to implement blockchain technology for tracking food products. This allowed Walmart to quickly trace products and identify counterfeits or foods that can cause food-borne illnesses due to contamination. This real-time, continuous traceability of products has helped Walmart reduce waste and improve food safety.
These case studies demonstrate that advanced packaging solutions can be successfully implemented to reduce food waste across all sectors of the food industry.

Initial Challenges Associated with the Adoption of Future Packaging Solutions

There are some challenges for companies looking to adopt future packaging solutions, the challenges can be broadly summarized as costs, regulations, and consumer acceptance.

Barriers to Adoption

● Cost Concerns: There is a cost to adopting innovative packaging solutions, but this tends to be much lower than the perceived high costs associated with new technologies. Nevertheless, there can be a significant upfront investment required that can deter smaller companies from making the switch.
● Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring that the new packaging solutions comply with stringent and evolving regulatory requirements can also be a challenge. Food packaging needs to meet strict safety and quality standards and navigating these regulations can be difficult and time-consuming.
● Consumer Acceptance: Novel packaging materials may face resistance from consumers who have become accustomed to traditional packaging materials and formats. Therefore, educating consumers about the benefits of advanced packaging solutions is an essential requirement for successful adoption.

Strategies to Overcome Barriers

Collaboration and partnerships can help to overcome cost barriers by effectively sharing the implementation costs and agreeing to industry practices and standards. Investing in research and development can address regulatory compliance challenges along with proactively engaging with regulatory bodies and staying ahead of evolving requirements. Engaging with and educating consumers can mostly negate any consumer acceptance hurdles and this can be achieved effectively through social media channels and labeling to educate consumers about the benefits of sustainable packaging.

Future Packaging Trends to Further Reduce Food Waste

Future trends or at least the trends most likely to continue within the food industry are edible packaging, Smart packaging solutions, biodegradable packaging, MAP (modified atmosphere packaging, and irradiation technology. Each of these sustainable food packaging materials and technologies is already being used by the big players in the industry but this is expected to substantially grow and become standard practice.

Conclusion

In conclusion, food waste is a global issue and poses a significant challenge to food security, and environmental health. Advanced packaging solutions offer a promising solution to minimize food waste and with the adoption of technologies such as MAP, vacuum packaging, and intelligent packaging, the food industry can make a substantial reduction in waste and environmental impact. Large organizations and early adopters have already demonstrated the tangible benefits of advanced packaging solutions despite some initial challenges so the food industry can now work towards a more efficient, more profitable, and environmentally friendly future.