SPC Open Forum: Mapping the influence of food waste in food packaging environmental performance assessments
• Food waste is of major national and international concern
– One third of the food produced globally for human consumption is wasted
– 133 billion pounds annually in US, by USDA estimates
– Contributes 28% to carbon footprint of US diet
– UN Sustainable Development Goal 12.3:
• “By 2030 halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer level, and reduce food losses along production and supply chains including post-harvest losses.”
– September 16, 2015: USDA & EPA announce first national goal to reduce food waste by 50% by 2030
• Packaging is commonly seen as an environmental burden; sustainable packaging efforts are often aimed at lightweighting, recyclability, compostability
• Packaging serves a critical role in protecting and preserving foods: may lead directly to food waste reduction
• Can investments in increased or improved packaging technologies be justified from an environmental standpoint if they contribute to reductions in food waste?