Does the road to food protection lead through food waste?!

(Photo: Pixabay)

Rising prices, disruptions in supply chains, climate change, an ever-growing population: the world is facing a food crisis. At the same time, around 1.3 billion tons of food are thrown away in the world every year, and according to forecasts, this amount may increase to 2.1 billion tons by 2030. This is precisely what the SAVE FOOD initiative, which was initiated by Messe Düsseldorf, the interpack trade fair and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), is aimed at. During the coronavirus pandemic, the project was partially suspended, and the current restart is being tackled with forward-looking plans and projects. As an international trade fair, interpack plays a key role in the SAVE FOOD initiative. “We are participating in the initiative with what distinguishes us: the international network of contacts, the support of innovation and the international presentation of topics,” explained Bernd Jablonowski, managing director of the Messe Düsseldorf trade fair company. “SAVE FOOD is an important part of Messe Düsseldorf’s efforts to meet the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the areas of environmental protection and social development. In the framework of SAVE FOOD, we make a tangible contribution to the SDG 12.3 objective – reducing and combating food waste.”

From field to table

SAVE FOOD uses a comprehensive approach to ensure that the reduction of food loss and food waste is technically, economically, environmentally and socially accepted, feasible and effective. This is a task that starts in agriculture and extends through the food industry, packaging and process technology to trade and individual consumers.

The role of the packaging industry

New technologies help reduce food loss and product safety – which is one of the main topics of the May 4-10, 2023. for the interpack trade fair organized in Düsseldorf between The trade fair is an extremely important stage for sharing expertise, building networks and gathering ideas in the field of food processing and packaging technology. About 2,700 exhibitors from all over the world are expected at the army review.

BAU University in Istanbul conducts research within the framework of SAVE FOOD

The large-scale study of Istanbul’s Bahçeşehir University (BAU) is also one of the new projects of the SAVE FOOD initiative. The aim of the research is to produce biodegradable food packaging materials from food waste or food industry by-products. Due to their protective function, packaging materials reduce food loss, while unrecycled plastic waste is one of the biggest environmental problems of our time. Innovative packaging materials can significantly contribute to reducing the amount of waste. Consumer demand for environmentally friendly, recyclable packaging is also increasing, which is another incentive for research into biodegradable and compostable plastic substitute materials. BAU University participates in the introductory project with a packaging industry and a food industry partner. The study is supported by the European and Central Asian regional office of FAO and the interpack trade fair. The first prototypes will be presented at interpack 2023.

“Enabling the change” regional conference

The launch event of the new project is the “Enabling the change” regional conference, in the framework of which the SAVE FOOD initiative presents the joint project with BAU University. The aim of the conference was to present the obstacles, developments, conditions and innovations in reducing the amount of food waste. The conference is attended by political actors and international organizations, food manufacturers, professional associations and unions, investors, non-profit organizations, technology companies and research institutes. The participants of the conference held in Istanbul on October 5th and 6th, 2022, will share their best and most effective practical experiences with regard to food loss and food waste at all levels, areas and stages of the value chain even before the meeting. This valuable knowledge is recorded in the FAO database.