Dive Brief:
- Champions 12.3, a coalition of government, business and civil society leaders focused on carrying out Target 12.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals, released a progress report for the U.S.'s food waste reduction efforts.
- Since setting the SDGs in September 2015, the USDA and EPA announced a goal to halve food waste goals by 2030; the Rockefeller Foundation launched YieldWise, a $130 million investment in showing practical ways to support that 2030 goal; and the Ad Council and Natural Resources Defense Council launched a nationwide public education campaign called "Save the Food."
- However, the report also stresses that the industry must do more and outlines three ways leaders can hasten the progress toward limiting food waste.
Dive Insight:
While setting goals is a start, what will be much more pressing is how manufacturers and government leaders go about finding solutions to reach those goals. Several companies have already found innovative ways to evolve parts of their operations into food waste reduction or elimination mechanisms.
Manufacturers may take unused ingredients and sell them to another company, which then also creates additional revenue streams and boosts their top line. That added benefit, along with potential cost savings, could be a better motivator to encourage more companies to pursue food waste reduction efforts. Government leaders could find ways to incentivize eliminating food waste from companies' operations.
Another possibility is a more uniform approach to "best by" dates on food and beverage packaging. Different language and proprietary methods for determining those dates can confuse consumers into throwing away edible food. Manufacturers should be a part of this conversation to ensure legislators mandate requirements that are practical, cost-effective and clear for consumers to understand.