“Eye-opening” findings: UK food surplus & waste in primary production costs US$1.4bn

29 Jul 2019 --- Total UK food surplus and waste in primary production stands at 3.6 million tons per annum, or 7.2 percent of production, while the market value of this food is in the region of £1.2 billion (US$1.4 billion). This is according to research by the UK’s sustainability body WRAP. The study examined the process from when a food crop is ready to harvest, or an animal to be slaughtered, and assessed the surplus and waste arising from methods such as grading, packing and washing. These new insights into UK farms hope to help drive forward work on their root causes and help more food reach its intended market.

“The huge range between low and high waste rates is eye-opening. We’ve seen this directly in some of our work – ranges of 7 to 47 percent for example. Some of this is driven by site-specific factors like the weather or soil type, but it’s also clear that there is a big opportunity to support improvements towards best in class,” William McManus Sector Specialist, Food, WRAP, tells PackagingInsights.

Surplus food comprises those products that are not sold for human consumption as intended, but which are instead used as livestock feed, redistributed to charities, or may become bio-based materials such as colorants. The amount of surplus food is estimated to be an additional two million tons per annum or 4 percent of production with a market value of more than £500 million (US$617 billion).Total UK food surplus and waste in primary production stands at 3.6 million tons per annum, according to WRAP.

The analysis estimates that food waste accounts for 1.6 million tons of the total figure, or around 3 percent of production with a market value of around £650 million (US$802 billion). Sugar beet, potatoes and carrots made up more than half of the overall waste by weight, with the top ten products accounting for 80 percent of the total weight. When grouped by product type, horticultural crops make up 54 percent of the total, cereals 30 percent, livestock 8 percent and milk 8 percent.

Indeed, Peter Maddox, WRAP Director, has previously told PackagingInsights in an exclusive interview that although plastic trumps food waste for many retailers and brands in the UK, in reality, according to many metrics, food waste may be a bigger issue that needs solving. 

Food Surplus Network
In response, WRAP has produced a new online resource for farmers and growers, the Food Surplus Network, which provides access to a broad range of markets and outlets for surplus food.

This is a “simple portal for farmers which gives them access to a huge range of emerging alternative markets for their surplus,” explains McManus. He notes that an interesting emerging sector is producing insect protein from food waste, which can then be used for fish or poultry feed, potentially displacing environmentally damaging protein sources.

“We want to increase redistribution of surplus food as has happened across the retail sector, and I am pleased this will now be much easier through the Food Surplus Network,” adds Maddox.

Also, among other food-waste initiatives WRAP has previously embarked on, the organization and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) are supporting the not-for-profit farmer network Innovative Farmers in piloting a farmer-led approach to food waste data collection. This is investigating apple, carrot, egg, tomato and wheat production in England. 

WRAP and its Courtauld 2025 partners are also delivering practical solutions for the sector including ground-breaking projects with strawberry growers demonstrating the business case for investing in more efficient production systems, and with potato growers outlining the benefit of measuring to identify opportunities to significantly improve productivity. 

Given the scale and challenge of gathering data from the sector, the organization is also calling on businesses and researchers to share their insights through its collaborative data-sharing platform.Food waste is a major source of carbon emissions.

WRAP’s estimates show the scale of the situation based on 2017 data, and the organization is now working to acquire more data directly from producers to refine its findings and help direct future action.

How has the industry responded?
Food waste is a major source of carbon emissions and is increasingly recognized as an issue requiring as much attention as plastic waste is currently receiving. 

“Food waste and plastic packaging are both high priorities. We are clear that it would be irresponsible to accept more food waste in tackling plastic pollution and we must avoid unintended consequences. Under both the Courtauld Commitment 2025 and the UK Plastics Pact, we are bringing together industry and experts to make sure we get this balance right. Both food waste and plastic packaging are key areas for WRAP,” notes McManus.

Mark Varney, Director of Food & Network Development, FareShare, says, “According to WRAP, over three million tons of food is wasted before it even leaves UK farms, or is used to feed animals rather than people. Assuming two-thirds of this could have been eaten, that’s enough to create over four and a half billion meals for UK citizens each year – a staggering figure.”

While Jack Ward, Chief Executive of the British Growers Association, highlights that, from a “grower’s” perspective, “it is critical that we maximize sales of the produce grown on our land for its primary use. Any product left on farm; whether it fails to meet specification or is rejected for quality factors, is very frustrating.”

“Having new insights into the scale of food waste and under-utilized production on farm is a positive step forward, and a resource that should be of use to many growers and the wider supply chain,” he adds.

As the issue of food waste grows in prominence, the packaging industry has taken an active role in innovating on this front. 

The NanoPack Project has reported significant advancements in the shelf-life and quality extension of a range of foods when packaged in nano-active materials. Funded by the EU Horizon 2020 scheme, the project aims to mainstream nanotechnologies in commercial flexible packaging.

Similarly, UK-based technologists, It’s Fresh!, launched its latest shelf-enhancing product – Infinite – a new sustainable delivery system that utilizes a proprietary “active ingredient” that can be printed directly onto existing packaging for fruit, vegetables and even flowers. It is proven to prolong shelf-life and extend freshness and quality by absorbing the natural ripening hormone, ethylene. 

By Laxmi Haigh