Better refrigeration could significantly reduce global food waste • Earth.com

Every year, 1.3 billion tonnes of food waste are wasted globally, a crisis that occurs as around 800 million people face hunger. This significant global food waste contributes to greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global warming, suggesting an urgent need for systemic change in refrigeration.

Shameful habit of food waste

Food waste refers to food that is thrown away or uneaten. This happens at different stages of the food supply chain, from production and processing to retail and consumption.

On farms, food waste can result from crops not being harvested due to weather, pests or market conditions.

During processing, food may be discarded due to imperfections or contamination. In retail, supermarkets often throw away unsold food products, especially those near their expiration date.

Consumers significantly contribute to food waste by buying more than they need, storing food improperly, or throwing away leftovers.

Food waste has serious environmental, economic and social consequences. Environmentally, food decomposition in landfills produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas contributing to climate change.

From an economic perspective, food waste represents a loss of resources such as water, labor and energy used in its production.

On a social level, food waste is of particular concern given that millions of people around the world suffer from hunger and food insecurity. Reducing food waste is crucial for sustainability and global food security.

Reducing food waste with refrigeration

A recent study reveals the enormous potential of refrigeration to combat the global food waste crisis.

Researchers found that improving cold chains – the refrigerated systems used to transport and store food – could prevent 620 million tonnes of food from being wasted each year.

This innovative approach not only addresses food safety concerns, but also significantly reduces the environmental impact of food waste.

By implementing fully refrigerated supply chains around the world, greenhouse gas emissions associated with food waste could be reduced by 41%, which would be an important step towards a more sustainable food system.

Cold chain improvements in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia

The study identifies sub-Saharan Africa and South and Southeast Asia as the regions with the greatest potential to reduce food waste and associated emissions through better refrigeration systems.

South and Southeast Asia could see a 45% reduction in food loss and a 54% reduction in emissions.

Sub-Saharan Africa could achieve even greater reductions, with food losses potentially falling by 47% and emissions by 66%.

Localized food supply chains

Interestingly, the study also highlights the benefits of localized, less industrialized food supply chains.

These farm-to-table systems can enable food savings comparable to those achieved through optimized cold chains, presenting a viable alternative in certain contexts.

Aaron Friedman-Heiman, the lead author of the study, shared his surprise at the scale of the global opportunity to reduce food loss and waste.

He highlighted that optimizing food supply chains could reduce around half of annual food waste.

Food loss is estimated to be responsible for around 8% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions.

The study particularly focuses on the post-harvest stages through to retail, where improved cold chain infrastructure could have a significant impact on both food safety and environmental sustainability.

Developed by researchers at the University of Michigan, the study presents a food loss estimation tool designed to help stakeholders evaluate and improve their cold chain systems.

This tool could be invaluable to a wide range of actors in the food supply chain, from farmers to food retailers and government officials.

Investing for maximum impact

Study co-author Shelie Miller points out that while global expansion of cold chain infrastructure is underway, development will vary across different regions.

This variable growth suggests that investment decisions in refrigeration improvements need to be carefully prioritized to maximize the desired outcomes in reducing food waste, whether they focus on reducing hunger or reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Miller points out that meat, although making up a smaller proportion of food waste by weight, accounts for more than 50% of associated emissions.

Optimizing meat refrigeration could thus eliminate more than 43% of emissions linked to meat losses alone.

Balancing food waste and climate change

As the world grapples with the challenges of food waste and climate change, decisions made today regarding refrigeration infrastructure will have lasting impacts.

It is clear that while improving refrigeration systems has important environmental and social benefits, it also has significant trade-offs that vary by food type and region.

This nuanced understanding can help organizations and governments make informed choices about where and how to invest in refrigeration technologies, balancing the urgent need to reduce food waste with the equally crucial need to combat climate change.

The full study was published in the journal Environmental Research Letters.

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