A spate of product recalls from renowned brands and a high-profile campaign led by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and farmer Jimmy Doherty to get ‘wonky veg’ on supermarket shelves has positioned the food waste debate firmly in the spotlight.
Having recently read statistics from WRAP (Waste Resources Action Programme) it has come to light that in the UK supply chain, more than two million tonnes of fresh produce go to waste every year.
High-profile advocate of wonky veg, Jamie Oliver, has given his bold view on the topic: “If most Brits had half an idea of the amount going to waste, they’d be snapping up ugly veg by the trolley load. There’s no difference whatsoever in taste or nutritional value. This is perfectly good food that could and should be eaten by humans.’’
If we delve deeper into the issue, WRAP has also revealed that UK stores are to blame for wasting around 200,000 tonnes of food, with supermarket giant Tesco contributing over 50,000 tonnes of this food waste annually – over 30,000 tonnes of which is thought to still be edible.
Appallingly, most edible food is going to waste at manufacturing sites as it’s cheaper to dispose of it. However, a number of initiatives have been implemented to help tackle the issue.
Asda was the first UK supermarket to introduce the ‘wonky veg box’, with Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, the Co-op and Waitrose also making misshapen and less attractive looking produce available to consumers. It is possible that M&S may also offer their own line.
WRAP has also launched The Courtauld Commitment 2025, a voluntary agreement to reduce supply chain waste 20 per cent by 2025 and improve sustainability. Coca-Cola, Warburtons, Birds Eye and all the major supermarket chains have signed up to the scheme aimed at individuals and organisations across the supply chain.
This commitment to waste reduction could help businesses to develop a strong resilience to increased market volatility.
Expectations are already high from customers and retailers as demand grows and all those involved in the supply chain process face ever increasing pressure to act quickly and be able to access data instantly. Further demand comes from employees who expect to have mobile access to business information such as real-time updates, reports and traceability from any location or device – an essential tool for an industry rife with workers operating from remote locations.
The effects of limited resources, population growth and climate change will be significant for food supply and business efficiency in the future, so to protect our produce, considerable changes need to be made to increase sustainable production and consumption.
Two major causes of food waste that need to be reduced are; instances where produce does not reach the required outlet due to surplus amounts of food, food falling below specifications, or a change in specifications, and inefficient supply chain management, resulting in product loss due to inaccurate demand forecasting.
To avoid such issues, the supply chain must be flexible and responsive to allow for proactive or reactive adjustments. To achieve this, specialist IT systems – which are becoming more widespread across the sector – can help drive the evolution of food production, processing and distribution.
With features such as demand forecasting and smart inventory management, users are less likely to be faced with a surplus or shortage of stock, thus reducing food waste and improving efficiency.
For businesses to grow, they should avoid getting left behind and move away from clumsy paper-based processes or archaic systems made up of several disjointed elements which hinder communication, and shift to a real-time software process which allows employees across the supply chain to use it with ease.
It is clear that large organisations are beginning to commit to reducing fresh food waste on a grand scale, but it seems there is still a long way to go. IT systems can help further tackle the issue and increase sustainability by reducing paper waste, providing instant access to crucial data and ultimately improving efficiency across the supply chain, leading to less fresh produce waste.
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