A C|O Thought Leadership Event
on Lost and Tossed Food
2013 Executive Summary
1
From the
United Nations
to dinner tables
across the
United States,
people are
talking about
food waste. It’s
an important
topic for
all of us.
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization recently reported
that one-third of the food produced globally is wasted or
lost. In the U.S., the number is even higher at 40 percent.
We are pleased to share highlights of the discussions.
Join the conversation at www.charlestonorwig.com/COEvent
2
Charleston Orwig brought together diverse interests across the food chain
for a dialogue on this critical issue at “Stick A Fork In It: A C O Thought
Leadership Event on Lost and Tossed Food,” its fourth annual event.
Guests ranging from local and organic foods advocates to corporate
proponents of genetically modified crops gathered in Milwaukee to see the
results of a C O-commissioned food waste survey, conducted by Datassential,
and hear an overview of the issue from author Jonathan Bloom, whose 2012
book American Wasteland looks at food waste from farm to fork.
participants roll
up their sleeves
during smallgroup discussions
to brainstorm
ideas to help end
food waste
3
Stadium-sized waste
The amount of food americans
waste
daily
would fill the Rose Bowl.
C O Chief Executive
Officer Mark Gale
in his welcome
Imagine mounds of garbage
filling the Rose Bowl. That’s
the amount of food Americans
waste daily. This equals 40
percent of the food produced
across the food chain, or 160
billion pounds a year. The
financial cost is staggering:
$240 billion. And the human
cost is even higher: 40
percent of all calories available
for nutrition are wasted, a
sobering statistic given the 15
percent of Americans living
with food insecurity.
Whether your views skew
local and organic or global
and bio-tech, we can all
agree on the crying need to
reduce food waste.
80%
consumers
surveyed recognize
of american
food waste
is an issue.
Awareness vs. understanding
The percentage in the stat above was discovered in a C O-commissioned
survey conducted by Datassential in August 2013.* More likely to agree were
GenX and Baby Boomers, many of whom were exposed to their parents’
Depression-era concerns about waste.
Of the respondents, 74 percent expressed concern about food waste.
Datassential’s Maeve Webster explained that food waste is a personal issue
that affects purchasing decisions and “which companies they support with
their dollars.”
These attitudes present a challenge for the food industry, which consumers
perceive as causing the problem. Roughly one-third of consumers (32 percent)
believe that waste is a food industry problem, not a household problem, due
to the size and scale of the industry.
*Proprietary research conducted August 2013. This was a consumer survey with more than 2,500 respondents.
5
“This is a challenge for the food industry if it constantly takes the blame
without consumers playing a role (in addressing the issue),” Webster said. “The
dichotomy is always an issue with consumers. They say they want to eat healthy,
but love fried foods. Consumers have a ‘split personality’ on a lot of issues.”
Restaurants are on the “front line” of food waste because that is where
consumers spend money, where they see large portions and uneaten food at
the end of their meal.
Yet Bloom’s research found that the food industry and consumers are to
blame for America’s rank of No. 1 in food waste, just ahead of Canada,
Australia and Great Britain.
While it’s difficult to estimate how much food is lost at farm level, it is not
uncommon for producers to pass over food at harvest because it isn’t the
“right size, shape and color” to meet consumer demand or prices don’t
support labor or fuel costs. Despite what they say, consumers won’t buy
“imperfect” foods, according to retailers.
6
america ranks
#1 in food waste.
More waste
Moreover, automation and speed in food processing lead to waste because
there is no incentive to halt production if a crop is being mis-cut. And
consumer demand has created a “long-distance food chain” from production
to table with increased chances of waste and damage in transit.
When food reaches the supermarket, it may languish in refrigerator or freezer
cases until its sell-by date approaches. At that point, many grocers will throw
away food rather than donating to a food bank because they are concerned
about liability issues.
The issue is highlighted in a 2011 Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO) table
showing the progression of waste across
the food chain. According to the FAO,
52 percent of fruits and vegetables
produced in North America (defined
as the U.S., Canada, New Zealand and
Australia) were wasted. This occurred in
the following stages:
20%
Production
3%
Postharvest
handling &
storage
1%
Processing/
packaging
7
12%
Distribution
28%
Consumer
american
consumers
WASTE
25% of
THEIR food.
Abundance leads to waste
At home, American consumers waste about 25 percent of their food by
throwing it out or down the disposal. Americans are more likely to take food
for granted because there is so much of it at a reasonable price, Bloom said:
• The U.S. produces twice the amount of calories we need, per person
• Food is available everywhere: supermarkets, gas stations, drug stores, etc.
• Food accounts for less than 10 percent of the average budget so
“… we think that we can always buy more.”
In America, food costs are near an all-time low, largely because of
subsidies, he said, adding, “If we paid the true cost of food, we might
appreciate it more.”
Abundant, low-cost food has led consumers to expect massive portions when
eating at restaurants and at home. “They are put in a precarious position
where they overeat or waste food,” he said.
8
40 trillion liters of h 0
2
=
TRILLION
LITERS
ONE
Great
Salt Lake
Environmental, economic impacts
Wasted food accounts for 4 percent of U.S. energy consumption or about
70 times the amount of oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill in the U.S. Gulf.
In terms of water, 25 percent of the water used in the U.S. produces wasted
food, while 40 trillion liters—equivalent to the Great Salt Lake—is embedded in
the food we toss every year.
Food waste is the No. 1 component in the waste stream ending up in landfills and
accounts for 15 percent of methane emissions as it decomposes or is incinerated,
a concern because methane emits 21 times more heat than CO2, he said.
The annual economic cost of wasted food is high: $44 billion in food
processing and $2,200 at home for an average family of four.
P
ST
MO
Source Reduction
ED
RR
FE
RE
Feed Hungry People
Food Recovery
Hierarchy
Feed Animals
Industrial Uses
(Anaerobic digesting for fuel)
Composting
ED
RR
FE
RE
TP
AS
LE
Incineration
or Landfill
97 percent of food waste
currently ends up in
this bottom category.
New solutions
Bloom outlined actions the food industry, consumers and the government can
take to curb or prevent food waste including:
Agriculture
Manufacturing
Legislative
Plant “smarter,” not
fencerow to fencerow
Assess operations
(Do a “dumpster dive”
to assess waste)
Streamline deductions
for food donations
Harvest all that
is grown
Use resources wisely
Focus on efficiency to
ease deforestation
Empower employees
to stop waste, donate
excess food
Set a zero-waste goal
Fund gleaning (food
recovery) efforts
Support composting in
terms of economics/
infrastructure
Additionally, Bloom advocates removing date labels from shelf-stable items
so consumers do not mistakenly believe that food is no longer safe to eat.
A Harvard Law School/National Resources Defense Council study released
September 19th found that manufacturer-imposed “sell by” or “use by” dates
on packaged foods are inconsistent and serve to confuse consumers who are
likely to throw away food simply because of arbitrary dates.
He also suggests a public awareness campaign about food waste, comparable
to the 70’s “Give a Hoot, Don’t Pollute” campaign.
At home and in restaurants, consumers can insist on reasonable portion sizes.
They also can cook with their children to teach the value of food, shop at
farmers’ markets and begin to compost.
10
Enough for everyone
With a rapidly growing population, diminishing resources and an estimated
870 million people going hungry every day, we must consider ways to stop
food waste. It’s not solely a humanitarian issue. The inefficiencies that
contribute to food waste represent significant economic and sustainability
issues as well.
In order to address the needs of a global population topping 9 billion by
mid-century, professionals across the food chain must play a leading role in
eliminating food waste. We can work together—with consumers and legislators
and activists—toward the goal of eliminating waste and assuring that the
hungry receive the food they need.
C O is pleased to bring together disparate views and interests to facilitate
discussion on the important issue of food waste. We leave you with a reminder:
THERE’S ENOUGH
for everyone.
11
mark gale,
lyle orwig and
marcy tessmann
CharlestonlOrwig is a strategic communications consultant serving leading and emerging
brands. We focus primarily on the food system—from agriculture through processing and
distribution to the point of retail. Our business is divided into two complementary disciplines:
Reputation Management—Building, strengthening and protecting an organization’s image
(managing issues and crisis as necessary). Integrated Marketing—Creating demand,
building brands and developing long-term value.
515 W. NORTH SHORE DRIVE, HARTLAND, WI 53029
p: 262.563.5100
www.charlestonorwig.com
©2013 Charleston Orwig, Inc.
12