What if packaging could actually reduce food waste so there was more food on the shelves and less food in the landfill?
December 15, 2021
It’s hard to believe that 40% of food produced in the United States goes from “farm to fork to landfill.”* What if packaging could reduce food waste so there was more food on the shelves and less food in the landfill?
The sustainability movement grew up and out of smaller companies that prioritized environmental responsibility in catering to niche consumer preferences. Now, sustainability features prominently in the brand promises and cost saving strategies made by food manufacturers of all sizes. So, how does a budding food manufacturer looking to scale up from a retail or small production operation begin to tackle sustainability? Three packaging professionals provide their advice for an environmentally responsible scale-up strategy.
Twenty-three colleges and universities in New England have joined an EPA effort to cut the amount of food that goes to waste. This doubles the participation of EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge in 2013, since eleven New England colleges and universities were already participating in the challenge. In 2011, these schools recovered a total of 4,538 tons of food.