Editorial and News

Abstract

With around one third of food produced globally going to waste each year, attention is increasingly being focused on reducing, reusing and recycling this waste. This is our theme for June. The food waste hierarchy (p27) is a good place to start. It defines the sequence of priorities in which food waste should be managed, depending on its characteristics. The first priority is to prevent the occurrence of waste at source, by identifying where it occurs and taking actions to eliminate it. The second priority is redistribution of surplus edible food to those in need. One of the biggest problems in managing waste food is the logistics of identification, collection and delivery. Charities, such as Fareshare (p24), lead the way in organising the collection and redistribution of surplus food from supermarkets, food producers and farms, while new consumer apps (p38) help citizens to identify and collect surplus food in their area. Another approach to repurposing agrifood waste is to use it as a feedstock from which to produce alternative food, packaging or biofuel products. Examples include the use of coffee grounds to produce coffee flavour, packaging materials and biofuel products (p28), the use of agrifood wastes as a feedstock for producing mushroom mycelium as a meat replacer (p34), or the use of crop residues to produce speciality ingredients (p32). This trend in new startups recovering value from food waste (p44) is accelerating and has led to the formation of the Upcycled Food Association in the US. There are a wealth of opportunities to develop new food and packaging products from agrifood waste, which offer the potential to move towards a more circular economy. If food waste is not fit for redistribution or repurposing, the next priority is treatment by anaerobic digestion, rather than composting, to generate green energy and a biofertiliser byproduct that can be recycled to land (p41). Efficient use of resources is critical to avoid waste and its impacts on food insecurity and climate change. Letters to the editor about any of the articles published in Food Science and Technology are welcomed. The Food Waste Index Report 2021, a new study from UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) and WRAP (Waste Resources Action Programme), estimates that around 931m tonnes of food waste was generated in 2019, 61% of which came from households, 26% from food service and 13% from retail. This suggests that 17% of total global food production may be wasted (11% in households, 5% in food service and 2% in retail)1. Household per capita food waste generation was found to be broadly similar across country income groups, suggesting that action on food waste is equally relevant in high, upper middle and lower middle income countries. This differs from earlier suggestions that consumer food waste is concentrated in developed countries, while food production, storage and transportation losses occur mainly in developing countries. There is insufficient data on the edible fraction of food waste to allow comparative analysis across country income groups, but even if inedible parts (bones, pits, eggshells, etc.) predominate in lower income countries, there is sufficient total food waste in these regions for circular approaches or other food waste diversion strategies to be adopted. The report publishes a methodology for countries to measure food waste at household, food service and retail level, in order to track national progress towards 2030 and to report on Sustainable Development Goal 12. 3, (Global Food Loss and Waste). Countries using this methodology will be able to generate strong evidence to guide a national strategy on food waste prevention that will enable meaningful comparisons among countries globally. The Food Waste Index covers the later stages of food's journey – food waste occurring at household, food service and retail level – and is intended to complement the Global Food Loss Index, developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which addresses methods for monitoring food losses on a global level for a basket of key commodities in the food system, including crops, livestock and fisheries products2. A new set of innovative digital tools and resources3 for employers to develop or enhance their workforce nutrition programme has been launched by the Workforce Nutrition Alliance, (a partnership between The Consumer Goods Forum and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition). The aim is to bring healthier eating to employees at their workplace and maximise the benefits to their business and their wellbeing. One in three people worldwide suffers from malnutrition today, making it a massive global concern impacting individuals, businesses and economies; it is hoped that the initiative will reach millions of people worldwide and have a powerful impact on fighting malnutrition globally, while protecting frontline workers and supporting economies. The tool can be used by an employer with one or multiple workplaces across multiple regions and enables them to assess their system-wide performance across different workplace types including factories, corporate offices, retail stores and warehouses. Leading companies are lending their weight to the expansion of workforce nutrition programmes. Olam International has become a Lighthouse Leader for Nutrition Education in the workforce. Google, Inc is a Lighthouse Leader in Healthy Food at Work, and Unilever is a Lighthouse Leader in Nutrition Focused Health Checks. The Workforce Nutrition Alliance is also developing an accompanying implementation support programme that will provide employers with access to leading technical experts who can guide them in putting their enhanced workforce nutrition programme into action. The programme will include resource materials as well as online video training courses. The IGD (Institute of Grocery Distribution) has launched a new guide to help manufacturers take urgent action to increase the amount of food that is redistributed4. The guide, entitled Maximising Food Surplus Redistribution: A Guide For Food Manufacturing Businesses, is the first step in a new programme of work aimed at mobilising the industry to take collective action on this critical issue and urgently accelerate the amount of surplus food being redistributed. With 16% of adults (one in six people) across England, Wales and Northern Ireland experiencing food insecurity, IGD has joined forces with Ben Elliot, Food Surplus and Waste Champion for Defra, and WRAP to launch the guide. This will be followed by the creation of a new online redistribution hub later in June, which will host a comprehensive set of resources to help and support businesses seeking to accelerate food surplus redistribution. Based on conversations with industry partners, IGD has identified the following five stages for successfully accelerating food surplus donations in a manufacturing business: 1 Provide leadership and establish governance 2 Identify levels and types of surplus 3 Select redistribution partner(s) 4 Revise processes and policies 5 Embed processes and continually review. A new study from Rothamsted Research has shown that soybean, an important source of plant-based protein, could be more widely farmed in the UK6. Currently much of Europe's soybean is imported, but there are strong economic and agronomic arguments for boosting local production. Soybean is grown in central and eastern Europe but is less favoured in the North due to climate. Researchers conducted field trials across three seasons and at two sites in the UK to test the viability of early-maturing soybean varieties and used the data from these trials to calibrate and validate the Rothamsted Landscape Model. The model was used to predict the probability that soybean would mature and the associated yield for 26 sites across the UK based on weather data under current, near-future (2041–60) and far-future (2081–2100) climate. The researchers concluded that soybean is likely to be a viable crop in the UK and for similar climates at similar latitudes in Northern Europe in the future but that for yields to be economically attractive for local markets, varieties must be chosen to align with the growing season. Ivy Farm Technologies, an Oxford University spin-out, is aiming to become the first commercial producer of sustainable, cultured meat in the UK5. The initial product will be a slaughter-free sausage – for supermarkets and the restaurant trade from 2023 - followed by meatballs and beefburgers. The company has launched a £16m fund-raising to build a pilot R&D facility in the first step towards producing 12,000 tonnes of cultured pork a year by 2025. A small number of cells are taken from an animal and placed in a bioreactor. The cells are exposed to a mix of vitamins and nutrients so they replicate and produce meat on a unique ‘scaffold’ system in as little as three-to-four weeks. The system is continuous – so muscle and fat can be harvested without disturbing cells growing underneath. The company is already in discussions with the Food Standards Agency, which will have to approve cultured meat before it can go on sale in the UK. Plans are in progress to develop the UK's first School of Sustainable Food and Farming at Harper Adams University, in Shropshire7. Supported by Morrisons, with co-partner RAFT Solutions, the school will draw on academic and practical expertise, as well as industry networks, to develop knowledge and skills for farmers and other businesses in the supply chain, which are committed to reducing the environmental impact of food production. Morrisons has set the objective to be directly supplied by net zero carbon British farms by 2030. The initial targets will be centred around how to achieve net-zero UK agriculture. However, the ambition of the school will include wider aspects of sustainability including biodiversity, animal welfare, rural community support, green energy production and farm profitability. Using knowledge from the research, the school will seek to develop practical advice and guidance to help farmers adjust their practices to be more sustainable. RAFT Solutions will play a key role in developing practical skills training associated with animal breeding and health. Capital investment in real farming projects will enable direct farming engagement with the school, for the benefit of all. Work placements, apprenticeships and other workforce development initiatives are also being considered to support the need for future sustainable food and farming professionals. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published the findings of a report exploring people's experiences of food during the COVID-19 pandemic in partnership with cross-party think tank Demos8. The report looks to understand how a new food environment created during the pandemic has impacted the public's behaviours and preferences. The research included: a nationally representative survey of 10,069 UK adults, a nationally representative online deliberative method called Polis with 1,006 UK respondents, a series of four deliberative workshops, and an open access survey of 911 adults. Key findings on the public's experience during the pandemic were as follows: • People have stepped in to help prevent new forms of food insecurity caused by people self-isolating by offering informal support, such as shopping for others. • There is a public appetite for the Government to take action to help feed those without the means to feed themselves. Just under two thirds (63%) agreed in the Polis that ‘it is the government's responsibility to make sure no-one goes hungry’. • A significant proportion of the population have bought food more locally or grown more food during the pandemic, reflecting a wider move towards individual self-sufficiency. Many of those who have made this move expect it to continue after the pandemic. • 78% of those surveyed supported the UK keeping its current food quality standards, even if food is more expensive and less competitive in the global market. A similar proportion (82%) also supported maintaining the UK's current animal welfare standards, when presented with the same trade-off against prices and competitiveness. • There has been a complex shift in people's diets during COVID-19, with more home cooking. Although a third (32%) of respondents in the poll reported eating more healthy main meals, a third (33%) ate more unhealthy snacks. • Some of the restrictions and public health advice, such as stay at home, might have encouraged more healthy eating. Those who have cooked more or eaten healthier main meals tend to expect this change to continue. However, this is likely to be somewhat dependent on other changes, such as continued flexible working. Campden BRI is updating guidance on heat preserved foods to help the food and drink industry manage risk in this area with the best practices9. The project, which involves close collaboration with industry experts, will align the new document with current technologies used in the heat preserved foods sector. Covering all packaged and ambient stable foods that receive a thermal process to extend shelf-life, the new guideline will provide expert advice to a large portion of the industry. The guidance will reflect changes in computing technology that have enabled food businesses to operate much more efficiently in all aspects, from ingredient control through to electronic data capture and storage. The bulk of the content will cover four main areas, which are critically important for ensuring food safety, including: • Management of pre-processing stages to avoid spoilage before the thermal process is applied • Correct application of the thermal processing step • Ensuring the packages are hermetically sealed 29-30 June and 16-17 November 2021 FOOD MATTERS LIVE Venue online Web foodmatterslive.com 5-7 July 2021 FOODEX Venue NEC, Birmingham Web foodex.co.uk/ 5-7 July 2021 THE INGREDIENTS SHOW Venue NEC, Birmingham Web theingredientsshow.co.uk/ 19-21 July 2021 IFT ANNUAL MEETING & FOOD EXPO Venue online Web iftevent.org/ 6-7 October 2021 7TH ANNUAL TRANSLATIONAL MICROBIOME CONFERENCE Venue Washington DC, USA Web microbiomeconference.com/ 15-16 October 2021 PLANT BASED WORLD CONFERENCE AND EXPO Venue business Design Centre, London Web plantbasedworldeurope.com/ 1-4 November 2021 35TH EFFOST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE - HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS, RESILIENT COMMUNITIES, AND GLOBAL FOOD SECURITY Venue Lausanne, Switzerland Web effostconference.com/ 22 Novemeber-2 December 2021 FOOD INGREDIENTS EUROPE Venue Frankfurt and online Web figlobal.com/fieurope/en/home.htm