Packaging and Food Waste

National and global studies in recent years uncovered startling statistics about food waste. Countries around the globe agree that the problem will become more serious and more of a danger to us all if nothing is done to stem the tide of food hitting the landfills.

Food waste accounts for 17 percent of what we send to landfills. And food waste creates dangerous methane gas 21 times more dangerous than carbon dioxide.

Dive! Trailer is an enlightening voyage of what usable food goes into dumpsters in the US. Although dumpster diving is mostly post-consumer, it also embraces retail food trash, which is largely packaged fresh produce. aS a former board member of our local Food Bank, I find this waste disheartening

Surprisingly, most food loss worldwide occurs from production to retailing, not at the consumer stage, according to the Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Some countries have taken an aggressive stance toward reducing the amount of wasted food from production to consumption.

• Korea has instituted a “waste tax.”
• Singapore launched a Zero Waste program in an effort to reduce their current food-waste rate from 10 percent to zero.
• The European Commission developed food waste guidelines earlier this year.
• The EPA developed a business tool, Food Waste Recovery Hierarchy, to help businesses measure their waste and explore solutions.

What does all that have to do with you? Maybe nothing… yet.

Although food packaging is less of a threat to the environment than the wasted food itself, it’s possible the FDA will take a harder look at the way food is packaged before it updates the next FDA Food Code.

If you’re exploring alternatives to your current packaging process, please take a look at our food overwrapping machines. Over the long term, overwrapping offers cost efficiency and improved sustainability, two major benefits that will, undoubtedly, influence your choice of packaging.

If you’d like to learn more about our overwrapping machines, or have a question about packaging, or just want to use us as a sounding board, contact us. We’ll be happy to help in any way we can.

Source: Package Machinery (http://goo.gl/TMAZb)