International Day of Food Loss and Waste 2023
Published: 27 Sep 2023
This is great news - The United Nations General Assembly designated 29 September as the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW). The day is co-convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the day's events are led jointly by the two organisations.
The goal is to raise awareness to the importance of the problem and its possible solutions at all levels, and to promote global efforts and collective action towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goal Target 12.3, which targets to halve per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer level by 2030, and reduce food losses along the food production and supply chains.
https://food.ec.europa.eu/safety/food-waste/international-day-awareness-food-loss-and-waste_en
Food Waste Reduction Week!
Published: 8 Mar 2022
According to Waste and Resource Action Programme (WRAP), around 10 million tonnes of food went uneaten between 2013-12016- 60% of which could be avoided.
If you're the farmer growing this food, then the produce that goes to waste before it even reaches the market is bad. Farmers have seen almost no increase in money their crops can fetch on the market in the last decade, doing everything you can to ensure as little of the food you grow as possible is wasted is essential if you want a healthy level of profit. If you're a farmer, it is therefore crucial that you reduce the amount of surplus food on your farm and to help achieve this we have built you a plan to help you along the way.
1. Impact of weather- If there is one thing that all farmers must contend with, it's the weather. From floods to wildfire to drought, the weather not only impacts the way our food is grown but also the way it is harvested. Early frost can affect the length of the harvest season and repeated heavy rain can cause delays on gathering these crops. Using agricultural innovations such as drought tolerant seed varieties or multi-cropping can help manage against the challenges mother nature brings.
2. Harvest- Communication is key, this is especially the case on large farms. You need as little delay as possible when crops are being pulled up, processed and place into storage. The most efficient way to schedule your harvest is by creating a spreadsheet. Everything should be tracked on the shared spreadsheet so it can be referred to at any time. When using harvesting vehicles, especially for big farms, it might be useful to consider the charity 'The Gleaning Network'. This charity will harvest the crops that your machines missed and donates them to your local food banks and charities. If for example the weather or market conditions mean that it would be financially irresponsible to harvest the crops, The Gleaning Network will harvest these fields for you.
3. Storage- Your storage facilities should be cleaned and disinfected prior to being filled this will reduce your chance of contamination and help stop the spread of any existing disease. They must have adequate ventilation and you should also be able to control their temperature and humidity. Making one-off investments in this area can lead to thousans of extra profits each year. You should also keep produce that produce high levels of ethylene separate as storing them together will result in the sensitive crops spoiling. Cleaning your produce before storing is another way to combat the spread of disease. After they are cleaned you will be able to easily identify the ones which are damaged, infected or over mature. Another thing that could potentially cause your crops to spoil is the residual heat from the crops themselves. They are warm when they come out of the ground so the best way to combat this is temporarily placing them in refrigeration or stacking in ventilated pallets in the shade.
The future of food waste problems does not stop with farmers. Consumers and the hospitality trade are both huge sectors as well. The worlds population is expected to increase by over 2 billion people by 2050 according to the UN and its imperative that all parts of the food supply chain are optimised.
Fresh Pod to be introduced onto Click It Local
Published: 14 Dec 2021
Click it Local is an exciting, new shopping experience which is thought to be the new 'Big Success'. Click it Local allows you to buy anything from any local shop that's signed up to the website and have the items delivered as early as the same day! The residents of Broadland and South Norfolk will benefit massively from this idea. Fresh Pod is pleased to announce we will be appearing on the website so you can buy us directly from Click it Local as well as the fruit and veg you would like to keep fresher for longer! Around 70 businesses from Broadland and South Norfolk are on the website including Brewery's, Distillery's, Florists, Bakeries, Jewellery and much more! Take a look on their website to see where delivers to you and watch out for our Fresh Pods to be on there soon!
Further Information
For further information, please visit https://www.clickitlocal.co.uk/norwich-and-south-norfolk/
10 top tips to reduce food waste this Christmas
Published: 29 Nov 2021
Did you know that food waste not only burns a hole in your pocket but also burns a hole in the ozone layer! When you throw food into the bin this goes to landfill, now, because of there is no oxygen at the bottom of the landfill where your food will end up, the bacteria that decomposes it releases methane instead of carbon dioxide. Food waste and landfill gas emissions are one of the largest anthropogenic methane sources with methane being 28 times more harmful than carbon dioxide (Adhikari & Barrington, 2005).
5 million Christmas puds, 74 million mince pies and 2 million turkeys are wasted each year...that's a huge amount of money!
Fresh Pod have come up with a list of 10 things you can do at home to reduce your food waste consumption around Christmas.
1. PLAN
Make space in your fridge/freezer before you go shopping by eating up or donating to neighbours or even using OLIO an app where you can share your food with people near by! By doing this you will know exactly what you have in the house so you dont buy twice.
Plan the meals, write a shopping list and only buy what you need.
Buy your veggies loose and locally.
2. STORE YOUR FOOD CORRECTLY
All those locally bought vegetables will last longer if stored correctly. Some people are unsure how to store fruits and veggies which can lead to premature ripening. Potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers and onions should never be refrigerated. Separating foods that produce more ethylene gas from those that don't is another great way to reduce food spoilage. Ethylene promotes ripening in foods and could lead to spoilage. Foods that produce ethylene gas while ripening include: bananas, avocados, tomatoes, cantaloupes ,peaches, pears, green onions. Keep these foods away from ethylene-sensitive produce like potatoes, apples, leafy greens, berries and peppers to avoid premature spoilage. You can also adopt the first in first out rule (FIFO), check the dates of what's in the fridge and eat what's going out first.
3. BUY A FRESH POD
On the subject of ethylene, Fresh Pod uses an ethylene removing technique that takes this ripening hormone out of the atmosphere making fruit and veggies last up to 4 times longer. Look at our website now for more information.
4. EAT THE SKIN
People always remove the skins of fruits and vegetables whilst preparing meals but so much nutrients is packed inside the skin so not only is is economical but its also delicious!
5. USE YOUR FREEZER
After the big day you've always got left overs...what are you going to do with them? Well...most Christmas items can be frozen including mince pies, potatoes, stilton, turkey, vegetables and bread sauce AND you can even freeze wine!
6. DONATE
Still got far too much stuff? Why not donate to a local food bank. Fresh food can't be accepted but you can give cereal boxes, biscuits, tinned vegetables and tinned soups.
7. COMPOST IF YOU CAN
Composting left overs is a beneficial way to reuse food scraps, however, not everyone has room for an outdoor composting system but there is a range of countertop composting systems that make this practice easy.
8. DONT TOSS THE GROUNDS
Coffee grounds make excellent fertilizer and a natural mosquito repellent so its a win win for when the summer comes around!
9. PAMPER YOURSELF THIS CHRISTMAS
Just cooked a massive Christmas dinner and everyone ate everything? Congratulate yourself Christmas afternoon by treating yourself to some pampering. Avocados are packed with healthy fats and antioxidants...combine ripe avocado with honey for a luxurious combination that can be used on the face or hair OR the coffee grounds from earlier? mix with sugar and olive oil for an invigorating body scrub...you can even use cool tea bags or excess cucumber slices to reduce puffiness.
10. LOVE YOUR LEFT OVERS
Got some bread left over and its gone a bit stale? Feed the birds or make breadcrumbs or you can even make Christmas decorations out of it (crazy i know!). There's loads of things you can do with leftovers or out of date items just be sure to be careful.
Local Flavours 2021
Published: 29 Aug 2021
Fresh Pod will once again be exhibiting at Local Flavours 2021. The event is the largest regional trade show of its type supporting local food and drink producers as well as suppliers into the industry.
Further Information
For further information, please visit www.localflavours.co.uk
Garrets International - taking Fresh Pod offshore.
Published: 3 Mar 2021
Garrets International has been a long time associate with Fresh Pod. Supplying Fresh Pod small filters into kitchen storerooms onboard merchant vessels. Working with Fresh Pod information during Food Waste Action Week, the Garrets team are educating head chefs and stores managers on the benefits of storing produce to maintain freshness.
Further Information
For further information, please visit https://www.garrets.com/en/sustainability/fresh-pod/fresh-pod.htm
Food Waste Action Week
Published: 2 Mar 2021
Fresh Pod is working with several councils across the UK during Food Waste Action Week 1st - 7th March. Promoting better storage of fresh fruit and vegetables, so they stay fresh, get eaten and not thrown away. Supporting the Love Food Hate Waste initiaitve by WRAP.
Food Waste Action Week
Published: 9 Feb 2021
Fresh Pod will be working with many councils across the UK, spreading message on how to reduce food waste in the home during Food Waste Action Week. (1st - 7th March 2021) For more information contact valerie@freshpod.co.uk
Local Flavours 2021
Published: 8 Feb 2021
This annual event, attended by the Fresh Pod team, has moved again to Wednesday 29th September 2021. We look forward to catching up with customers and new contacts.
Further Information
For further information, please visit https://localflavours.co.uk/
Have yourself a Merry Very Fresh and Waste Free Christmas!
Published: 22 Nov 2020
Christmas is the time of year when fruit bowls will be brimming, with exotic fresh produce, fridges crammed with seasonal fruit and vegetables, vases glittering around the house filled with beautiful smelling bouquets of flowers.
Many of us cater for more than usual over the festive period and often the additional fruit and vegetables purchased end up wasted, as they become an unnecessary additional buy and have gone off before having time to eat them. You only need to look at the number of bins crammed with food waste and black bags at the end of every street to see just how much waste is created at Christmas time.
Fresh Pod extends the life of fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers for up to 4 times longer, 100% safe and natural, and works by removing ethylene gas which all fruit and vegetables give off to ripen, it also removes airborne bacteria, spores and moulds which lurk in our fridges. This exceptional little pod not only helps reduce the amount of food households waste over the Christmas period, but it will also help save money.
A 12-month kit costs £14.00 including P&P and will pay for itself day after day by extending the shelf life of fruit, vegetables, and flowers. Fresh Pod is in 1000s of households and after 10 years of saving money for those families, its track record is well proven as a natural and safe choice.
This Christmas Fresh Pod is the perfect stocking filler or even as a general gift for friends, family, or colleagues. An unusual but useful and exciting gift. Not only are they useful and will last a full year, much longer than many other presents received they will also save the recipient a considerable amount of money by reducing their food waste over the course of 2021 and beyond.
How Fresh Pod works:
Ethylene gas is given off naturally from fruit, vegetables, and flowers as they mature which means that fruit and vegetables will have a reduced shelf life. Increased wastages add pressure to household budgets.
Fresh Pod utilises organically approved ethylene absorbing zeolite pellets. A reaction oxidises ethylene gas converting the filter material to manganese dioxide which is an excellent plant fertiliser also approved for organics. Fresh Pod eliminates 98.9% of ethylene gas in a safe and non-toxic way.
By controlling the levels of ethylene gas in your fridge, fruit bowl or vase of flowers this will extend the shelf life for up to four times longer all of which has financial benefits.
How do I use Fresh Pod?
One individual Fresh Pod sachet is about the size of a teabag and when placed in its pod in the fridge or fruit bowl it will ensure that the content stays fresher for longer. Various sizes and packs can be purchased depending on the needs.
When the time comes for the sachet to be changed, usually around six months, the contents make a fantastic fertiliser that can be used to feed house plants.
Organic September - the benefits of buying and the challenges of storing organic fruit and veg
Published: 1 Sep 2020
Whilst eating any fruit and vegetables is much better for you than none, organically produced fresh produce can give you and the environment so many additional benefits.
With no harmful chemicals and pesticides introduced from seed to plate then the consumer will enjoy many health benefits including a significantly higher proportion (60%) of key antioxidants.
There are also the benefits to the environment. The removal of harmful chemicals from fields and gardens will encourage and protect wildlife. Research shows there is 50% more wildlife on an organic farm than on a more traditional one. A real haven for bees, butterflies and other insects, as well as animals.
With no unnatural intervention, growers of organic fruit and vegetables have the challenge of keeping produce fresh for as long as possible, so they arrive at the customer in peak condition. From then on, the consumer (customer) has to eat the produce before it rots down.
There are ways to transport and store fruit and vegetables which will go along way to slowing down the ripening process. Ethylene gas is the ripening hormone, produced by all fruit and vegetables after harvesting. By removing the gas from the air surrounding produce, it will slow down the ripening process, in many fruit and vegetables, quite significantly.
Invisible airborne rots, moulds and spores especially in wet and damp conditions can also play a part in premature spoilage of fresh produce. That grey mould, Botrytis, that starts on one strawberry in a punnet can quickly multiply and spoil the lot, if left in close proximity to other produce.
Organising your fridge and other storage areas to keep the ethylene vulnerable away from prolific producers of the gas will go some way to slowing down the process; another way is to remove the Ethylene gas from the fridge or storage area altogether.
Approved for use with organics Fresh Pod works at all stage of the food supply chain to remove 99% of Ethylene from the atmosphere where fruit and vegetables are stored. It also removes any invisible airborne bacteria, rots and spores which can also accelerate spoilage. By cleaning the air produce will stay fresh, crisp and tastier for up to four times longer whilst retaining essential nutrients. Fresh Pod has a full range of products to work in domestic fridges and fruit bowls as well as in the commercial world in commercial fridges, warehouses, lorries, containers and others.
Choosing to introduce organic fruit and vegetables into the diet is not as difficult or expensive as it can sometimes be perceived. Especially if enjoyed in peak condition and not thrown away. The benefits to the body and to the environment is well worth the effort.
Defra food waste initiatives bear fruit
Published: 30 Jun 2020
Every year, 190,000 tonnes of edible food goes to waste from retailers and manufacturers which could be redistributed. Defra is taking bold action to tackle this issue head on - spearheading a number of initiatives to get more surplus food to those who need it.
Last year, the first tranche of our £15 million food waste initiative saw four companies receive a combined £4 million to drive this effort forward. A year on, this ambitious work is bearing real fruit - with new schemes already diverting tonnes of edible food to charity centres across the country and new highly skilled teams in place to find new, innovative ways to reach hard to reach surplus food.
A second fund of £3 million, delivered by our partner organisation WRAP as part of their Resource Action Fund, is currently supporting 17 redistribution organisations carry out Food Waste Prevention work across the country. In light of the coronavirus outbreak, £2 million has been awarded to redistribution organisations to help charities with their food offer during this challenging time, which is still open for small grant applications.
Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said:
I am determined that we find new and innovative ways to ensure perfectly good, nutritious food does not end up in the bin and is instead redistributed to those who need it.
We have already committed £15 million to cut food waste, and have increased this during the coronavirus pandemic to support this effort even more. This huge challenge has highlighted the value of food and, more than ever, the importance of ensuring good food does not go to waste.
Two organisations helping to spearhead the charge in reducing food waste are FareShare UK and Company Shop Group. Each received nearly £2 million in the first round of Defra funding last year,
Company Shop Group, which consists of the UK's largest commercial redistribution organisation Company Shop and social enterprise Community Shop, redistributes surplus food and household products to people working in the NHS, emergency services and food supply chain, and to those in low-income communities.
Using the £1.9 million in funding from Defra, the company has kick started a project to target the hardest to reach surplus food and redistribute this to where it is needed most. Its social enterprise Community Shop, which runs a network of five social supermarket stores across England, also received £50,000 in Covid-19 funding to support its efforts to combat the challenges of the pandemic.
Jane Marren, Managing Director of Company Shop Group, said:
We welcome the significant steps the Government has taken to support the reduction of food waste, and its recognition and investment in the surplus redistribution industry which is a crucial mechanism for achieving ambitious waste reduction targets.
We strongly believe business is a powerful force for social good, and this approach has never been more important than in today's circumstances. The funding provided by Defra and WRAP will enable us to redistribute even more surplus stock, support our food, drink, retail and hospitality industries, and most importantly, enable us to provide a life-line to even more communities in need.
FareShare has also used the £1.9 million they received in Defra funding, as well as an additional £444,000 during the coronavirus period, to enable them and their network partners to access many thousands of tonnes of surplus food with new equipment, vehicles and staff - saving this from the bin and delivering it to charities and communities across the country.
Lindsay Boswell, CEO of FareShare UK, said:
Getting good food to vulnerable people in the UK and cutting down food waste is our top priority, and this has never been more important than now during the coronavirus pandemic. The £1.9 million of Defra funding in 2019 helped us significantly, and combined with subsequent coronavirus grants, FareShare has gained access to many thousands of tonnes of surplus food.
The organisations we work with do truly amazing work and we're very proud to be working with them to help thousands of people across the country.
One beneficiary of emergency coronavirus funding was Oxfordshire-based charity SOFEA, which in partnership with FareShare rescues and re-distributes hundreds of tonnes of surplus food each year to charities throughout the Thames Valley region, supporting families in need while reducing food waste.
Through the £5 million COVID-19 Emergency Surplus Food Grant, SOFEA have been awarded £50,000 to provide additional warehouse racking and the installation of two walk-in freezers.
Richard Kennell, CEO of SOFEA, said:
The funding will allow us to increase our capacity to handle all types of food, including ambient, frozen and chilled. As we come out of the Covid-19 crisis it will enable our charity partners to be sure they can access a regular supply of nutritious food for their clients, particularly in the aftermath of the pandemic where we expect to see increased need.
Attribution: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Rebecca Pow MP
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/1/open-government-licence.htm
Further Information
For further information, please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/news/defra-food-waste-initiatives-bear-fruit
Summer salad days
Published: 18 May 2020
As we move to warmer days and the alfresco season many of you will have a riot of colourful fresh and seasonal produce in your fridge. How long they stay looking as good as the day you bought them home will depend on how well you store them.
Limp lettuce and squashy avocado happen all too quickly in many households and this is likely to be caused by an invisible gas called ethylene which all fruit and vegetables give off naturally as they ripen. Some produce, such as asparagus, lettuce, celery, and spinach are particularly sensitive to the gas and are in trouble right away if sitting beside tomatoes, avocados, melon, and mangoes, for instance; produce which generate high levels of ethylene.
All fruit and vegetables, once harvested, are keen to breakdown and many produce seeds. Ethylene is the natural plant hormone which helps them to do so. Ethylene gas is not harmful to humans and does not smell, you will only know it has been working in the environment when your bananas turn brown quickly or your lettuce goes limp.
The storage life of sensitive produce can be extended by keeping them separate from those that emit excessive Ethylene. However, as our salad bowl make up has moved on from just a bit of lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes to many more exciting and exotic additions, storage of produce has become more challenging too.
Controlling ethylene and other harmful invisible bacteria and spores in and around fresh produce takes a bit of time and effort when transporting from the shop and then to placing in storage in the fridge or fruit bowl. However, a bit of time and effort will reward you with fresher and tastier fresh produce for longer. The chart above shows how keeping the worst gas guzzling offender away from those that ruin the party.
Another option and much simpler way is to neutralise the ethylene in your storage area. Fresh Pod for instance, uses a natural process to remove ethylene as well as other harmful bacteria and spores and will extend the life of fresh fruit and vegetables (works on flowers too) by up to four times. Therefore, ensuring you enjoy your salad fresh, crispy and tasty and whilst it retains essential nutrients. Fresh Pod works on organics too.
With most households likely to create more fresh produce waste during the warmer weather, careful storage of fruit and vegetables will go a long way to saving money associated with food waste as well as reduce the amount of fresh produce unnecessarily thrown away.
Further Information
For further information, please visit https://www.freshpod.co.uk/shop/
Isolation on the horizon
Published: 18 Mar 2020
With COVID-19 appearing to have topped the conversation charts across the UK overtaking Brexit and even the weather as the most talked about subject, Fresh Pod have taken into considertion that most of the UK are buying in bulk and hibernating for the next couple of weeks.
Whilst we hope most people will still be out and about over the coming weeks and months many will be preparing to spend more time at home in isolation for a considerable period of time.
It is possible to purchase fresh produce and store for a length of time, in the home, with it staying fresh, crispier and tastier for up to four times longer.
Fresh Pod is already being used by thousands of households in the UK and is the perfect fridge and fruit bowl companion.
Produce stays perfectly fresh for a long amount of time, reducing food waste and until eaten, and in a completely safe and natural way.
With supermarkets cutting down on stock and setting limits on how many items the public can buy, Fresh Pod are here to put your mind at ease. Use a money saving pod in your fridge, flowers, fruit bowl, lunch box or even cool box to prolong the life of your fruit and veg by up to 4 times longer, therefore saving you money and the amount of trips you need to go to the supermarket.
Further Information
For further information, please visit https://www.facebook.com/freshpod/
We're worse with food waste than we think
Published: 18 Feb 2020
Common estimates for global food waste are too low, according to Dutch researchers, who suggest every person in the world is wasting about 500 calories of food a day.
Without waste, we could feed five people instead of four, they said.
The study found food waste goes up with the increase of money in our pockets, possibly reaching more than twice the levels we thought previously.
Reducing food waste is a key challenge in fighting climate change.
Wasted and lost food accounts for almost 10% of all our greenhouse gas emissions, according to the UN.
Stopping food waste is a win for consumers and it's definitely a win for the planet, said Dr Monika van den Bos Verma of Wageningen University in The Netherlands.
"Throwing food out in your dustbin is like throwing a five euro note out - why would you do that?"
Previous estimates have put global food waste at 214 calories per day per person (214 kilocalories/day/capita - a kilocalorie is another word for what's commonly called a calorie).
The researchers looked in detail at the issue of food waste, using data from the FAO, World Bank and World Health Organization (WHO).
Food waste started to rise above a daily income of about seven dollars per day.
And while the FAO estimated food waste to be 214 calories per day per person in the world in 2015, their model for the same year gave a figure of 527 calories.
"What we estimate is that FAO's original estimate of 214 kilocalories per capita per day is actually a vast underestimate of the global food waste as we measure it, because we have a factor two larger estimate of 527 kilocalories per capita per day," said Dr Thom Achterbosch, also of Wageningen University in the Netherlands.
Food waste is more of a problem in richer countries than we think but it's also going to rise faster in poorer countries, he added.
"From what we currently have in our kitchens we could feed five persons instead of four if we don't waste," he said.
Changing behaviour
The researchers point to some simple solutions for reducing food waste, such as reducing food portion sizes.
They say behavioural change is important, such as encouraging shoppers to switch from buying in excess or hoarding to buying "enough", with the thought that you can always buy more. And food must be valued and appreciated more in society.
The research, published in the journal, Plos One, did not include food lost in the production process before it gets to the consumer. The widely quoted figure of one third of all food available for human consumption lost or wasted is made up of both food lost before it reaches the consumer, which the study did not look at, and food wasted once it arrives in the kitchen.
The figures are global and give a basis for measuring progress towards the international goal to reduce food waste by half between 2015 and 2030.
"It's essentially the most sustainable way to solve part the problem of how to feed the world in the future," said co-researcher, Dr Martine Rutten.
Further Information
For further information, please visit https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51450727
Over £1m to fund food waste fight
Published: 18 Feb 2020
Businesses and not-for-profits in England will benefit from £1.15 million of funding to help them come up with creative new ways to tackle food waste by changing people's behaviour or transforming it into other materials.
From educating the public on how to store fresh food, to ideas such as turning food waste into new, edible products, grants will be available for creative solutions to address this pressing environmental challenge.
The government's Food Waste Champion, Ben Elliot, also announced today (30 January) he will hold the first ever 'Food Waste Action Week' from Monday 11 May and called on households and businesses across the country to join forces to reduce food waste.
With 4.5 million tonnes of food wasted every year, the new grants are the latest step in the government's drive to reduce food waste in the UK by 20% by 2025 and form part of a wider £15 million scheme to specifically address surplus food from the retail and manufacturing sectors.
Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said:
"The UK is a proud world leader in tackling food waste, owing in part to the innovation and creativity of many organisations across the UK - from educating the public on food waste in our homes, to making our supply chains greener.
"I look forward to supporting UK organisations who are taking up the mantle to tackle food waste and to create a better world for ourselves, as well as generations to come. It makes sense in every way - it cuts collection costs, saves the customer money and importantly reduces emissions which benefits the environment."
Announcing the first ever Food Waste Action Week, Government Food Waste Champion Ben Elliot said:
"The country's first ever Food Waste Action Week will be taking place from Monday 11th May and I encourage and implore everyone to get stuck in, joining together and taking the fight to food waste. More details will be provided shortly on what we must all do to reduce food waste at home and at work."
This comes as the government's landmark Environment Bill was introduced to Parliament today, reconfirming a commitment to reduce the UK's food waste footprint. It sets out how government will mandate weekly collections of food waste for every household, subject to consultation.
The UK is a global leader in tackling food waste, with the government pledging to reduce food waste by 20% by 2025 and total food waste levels already falling by 480,000 tonnes between 2015 and 2018. However, UK households still waste 4.5 million tonnes of food that could have been eaten every year, equivalent to ten billion meals.
The Citizen Food Waste Prevention and Value From Food Waste grants will be managed by sustainability not-for-profit WRAP, which works closely with governments, businesses and citizens to reduce food waste, from running public awareness campaigns such as Love Food Hate Waste, to working with local councils to offer residents separate food waste collections.
Peter Maddox, Director of WRAP, said:
"WRAP is pleased to be managing the Resource Action Fund on behalf of Defra.
"We are looking forward to receiving applications from innovative and imaginative programmes and projects that will have a real impact in reducing the level of food waste in our homes and making sure we get more value from food waste in supply chains - priorities for both WRAP and Defra."
This is the next step in the government's ambition to drive down food waste from all sources. Food Waste Champion Ben Elliot has also helped intensify action, with 129 of the biggest players in food, including all of the UK's major supermarkets, pledging to tackle the problem.
Today's funding is the latest in a series of government grants to help tackle food waste, with last year's Food Reduction Fund ensuring nearly 2,000 tonnes of surplus food did not go to waste.
Notes to Editors
The newly opened £1.15 million will be separated into two small-scale grants: The Citizen Food Waste Prevention grant (total worth of £650,000) and The Value from Food (total worth of £500,000) pilot project grant.
The Citizen Food Waste Prevention grant will award grants between £25,000 and £100,000 will be awarded to SME businesses and not-for-profit organisations who are inspiring the public to reduce their household food waste, such as through consumer education programmes on storing food appropriately and understanding their shelf life
The Value from Food Waste fund is open for collaborative projects from organisations of any size which are piloting methods to create useful materials out of food that would otherwise go to waste. Funding will be awarded for revenue and capital usage costs between £20,000 and £100,000.
In 2017, the government launched a £500,000 Food Waste Reduction fund, which supported eight projects in England redistribute 1,900 tonnes of food. The eight projects supported were: Action Homeless; His Church; FareShare UK; Fareshare Yorkshire; Feedback Global; Food in Community; Nuneaton & Bedworth HLN; REfUSE Durham.
Attributions: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs and https://www.gov.uk/government/people/rebecca-pow
Further Information
For further information, please visit https://www.gov.uk/government/news/over-1m-to-fund-food-waste-fight
The huge problem of food waste could be twice as big as we thought
Published: 18 Feb 2020
Consumers around the world could be wasting more than twice as much food as thought, according to an analysis that says previous estimates have been gross underestimates.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said in 2011 that around a third of food is lost or wasted. This report is considered to have played a key role in food waste reduction becoming one of the world's Sustainable Development Goals.
But the widely cited estimate appears to be wrong when it comes to the amount of food people waste at home because it fails to account for affluence, and how much more the rich waste than poorer people.
"The problem is much worse than we think. We have to wake up. I hope it's a wake-up call," says Monika van den Bos Verma at Wageningen University & Research in the Netherlands.
She and her team took an unusual approach to calculate global food waste. Due to a scarcity of comparable national data on such waste around the world, they instead inferred it. First, they compared how much food is produced - based on UN data on its availability - and how much is eaten, as calculated by the energy people need to consume and World Health Organization data on body mass from 63 countries. Finally, they used World Bank data to factor in affluence.
The result: an average person wastes around 527 kilocalories (kcal) a day. That is about one-fifth of the 2500 kcals the average man needs to maintain a healthy body weight, according to the UK's National Health Service, or a quarter of the daily recommended intake for a woman. The previous FAO estimate of food waste per person only came to 214 kcals a day.
The new figures are for 2005, due to data availability and to allow a comparison to the UN research. Van den Bos Verma found that food waste starts to become a serious issue when people reach a total spending power of $6.70 a day.
She says the work shows the importance of looking at different consumer attributes. "Food waste is a luxury when you're poor, it's not when you're richer. The value of food, it goes down [as you get richer]. It's also availability: the more you have, the more you're likely to waste."
Food waste matters because of the hungry people it could have fed, the environmental impacts from producing food and the climate change contribution it has when disposed of in landfill.
There are limitations to the new analysis. It only covers 67 per cent of the world population, and doesn't draw on data from some big food-wasting countries, including the US.
The FAO says the research provides new insights, but should be viewed as part of a body of literature. Andrea Cattaneo at the FAO has some doubts about the results, such as Japan coming out as a country that wastes lots of food, which he says is unlikely to reflect the reality. "The study is by no means the definitive word on the levels of consumer waste," he says. "It is one more estimate."
The UK's waste agency, WRAP, says it has used a similar approach to the Dutch team, but found it tended to significantly overestimate the amount of food consumers waste. Rather than using modelling alone, it advises collecting real household waste data and getting people to keep waste diaries.
Van den Bos Verma says the biggest assumption the new analysis makes is that poorer countries will develop the same way as rich ones have in the past. That risks a "brewing potential future problem" of even more food waste, she and her colleagues warn. Fortunately, a spike in food waste isn't a given because public education programmes and cultural differences could alter behaviour, says Van den Bos Verma.
Further Information
For further information, please visit https://www.newscientist.com/article/2232923-the-huge-problem-of-food-waste-could-be-twice-as-big-as-we-thought/
Horecava 2020 - Success in numbers!
Published: 17 Jan 2020
Fresh Pod and Chill Pod enjoyed a productive four days exhibiting on the East of England stand in Amsterdam at the food and drink event - Horecava 2020. Joining 20 local food and drink producers, the group won over hearts and minds of many of the thousands of visitors, all looking for new ideas for their retail shelves and menu's.
Fresh Pod already has an agent in the Netherlands and the Fresh Pod team were joined for part of the event by business partners Willem and John. Reassuring potential customers that any orders placed will be followed through seamlessly from ordering through to delivery. With the Amsterdam fruit, vegetables and flower markets supplying into the UK and Europe and the amount of land allocated to agriculture in the Netherlands, both Chill Pod and Fresh Pod are developing a strong foothold through the Netherlands and into Europe.
Fresh Pod takes on Horecava
Published: 10 Jan 2020
Fresh Pod and Chill Pod exhibiting at Horecava 2020!
Fresh Pod & Chill Pod will be exhibiting for the second year at Horecava 2020. We welcome customers both old and new to join us at any time, on the stand, over the 4 days.
We would like to invite you to join us for the Norfolk and Suffolk drinks reception at the pavilion from 4pm on Tuesday 14th January. 20 local food and drink producers alongside, Fresh Pod and Chill Pod, will be waiting to greet you and there will be a selection of locally produced products for all to enjoy.
What is Horecava?
Horecava is the largest food and drink expo in the Netherlands, offering an innovative and inspiring trade fair attracting over 66,000 catering professionals from 40,000 businesses in the food service industry, covering over 100,000m2 floor space.
The Norfolk and Suffolk pavilion will be showcasing world class food and drink produce from across the region, providing companies from Norfolk and Suffolk with a fantastic opportunity to attend the show and meet with buyers and distributors from across Europe. Fresh Pod and Chill Pod are suppliers to the industry.
Further Information
For further information, please visit https://www.horecava.nl/
