Robert Lawson, our Managing Partner and Co-Founder, spoke at a forum hosted by City Harvest, a charity organization, in support of the Lord Mayor. The event centered on solving hunger and malnutrition in London, our hometown as a business.
The following is taken from Robert’s speech at the event.
The topic today is enormous, and it is difficult to know where to start. So, I have decided to focus on one aspect of the food chain. What I am about to say might sound counterintuitive and maybe even controversial, but please bear with me. This is an area where we have great technical solutions capable of significantly reducing food wastage in the UK and around the world, but where we are losing sight of the big picture.
Packaging as a Solution, Not the Problem
My message is that embracing the brilliance of packaging, instead of demonizing it, can be a major contributor to reducing food wastage. We can achieve this by embracing the right kinds of plastic packaging—specifically PET.
In 2017, a two-minute clip by David Attenborough showing an albatross dying from consuming plastic marked a turning point in the use of plastic packaging in the food industry. However, this was the wrong response. The problem isn’t the use of plastic but rather how we dispose of it, and more importantly, how we recycle it.
The Impact of Poor Packaging Choices
I recently completed a project in France where retailers don’t use the correct packaging materials for meat due to “traditions.” As a result, they throw away up to 10% of the meat they purchase. Better packaging could extend meat freshness for over 10 days. For every 100 cows raised, 10 of them are wasted due to poor packaging choices. This is food wastage gone mad.
Fruit, Vegetables, and Shelf Life
There has been a lot of talk about removing packaging for fruit and vegetables altogether. However, packaging can have a huge impact on shelf life. For instance, cucumbers last 14 days when wrapped in plastic film but only 5 days unwrapped. Soft fruits need containers that don’t absorb moisture, and meat needs sealed containers with modified atmospheres.
The Right Approach to Reducing Food Wastage
The correct forms of plastic packaging can improve shelf life, reduce wastage, and lower costs. Retailers and the government need to focus on reducing food wastage rather than simply reducing plastic. Mono-materials like aluminum and PET, which are recyclable and preserve food effectively, are essential in tackling this issue.
When food wastage is reduced and food becomes more affordable, the planet emits less carbon, we have less animal cruelty and the planet is better able to address hunger.