Packaging can reduce food waste

IN THE FOOD industry, packaging is indispensable, and even more important now as a means to deliver product information and to attract consumers. Like a double-edged sword, it brings with it disposal and environmental issues.

According to AMERIPEN, misperceptions prevent us from seeing the value of packaging in reducing food waste. Its report “Quantifying the Value of Packaging as a Strategy to Prevent Food Waste in America,” presents the potential ways packaging can reduce food waste in America. In this study, AMERIPEN, whose role is focused on helping the packaging industry, also notes where further investment, research and policy must integrate to realize this value.

In the US alone, food waste has doubled in the past 50 years. Americans now waste almost ten times more food than those in less developed nations and almost one-third more than those in developed nations, costing over $200 billion each year. Food waste is the largest single material in landfills across the US and is a key contributor to global greenhouse gases.

Using global data, AMERIPEN uncovered a correlation between the foods with the highest percentage of wastage and those with the least amount of packaging. National-level data reinforced the link between packaging and food waste by demonstrating that the regions with the highest rates of food waste also have the least amount of packaged foods. Yet consumers frequently cite packaging over food waste as a top environmental concern, despite data suggesting otherwise.

While others have touted packaging as a cost-effective prevention strategy towards food waste, most have argued for further investment into emerging packaging technologies. AMERIPEN’s study suggests instead that simple optimization strategies to reduce damage and address consumer shifts in purchasing may be equally effective and more cost efficient in the fight against waste.

“Packaging can offer significant value in the fight against food waste but to achieve it we must first start to understand the consumers’ needs, use and perceptions of packaging. The AMERIPEN study points out a number of areas where disconnects between the packaging industry, consumer perceptions and governmental policy exist,” said Kyla Fisher Program Manager for AMERIPEN and the project lead for the study. “To achieve success, we need to find ways to better collaborate and integrate data across the sectors. This means more research into consumers’ use of packaging in the home and integrated policy approaches linking food waste with packaging recovery efforts.”

“Packaging’s potential for reducing food waste is overlooked both in the investment and policy communities,” Fisher said. “This needs to be addressed in order to leverage a key strategy in the fight against food waste.”

The key steps to recognize the value packaging can play in reducing food waste:

Packaging is an under-utilized solution that can significantly reduce food waste. Public perception of packaging must shift from a source of waste towards a means of preventing food waste

Additional data is needed to help educate and inform consumers how to better utilize packaged food products to prevent food waste.

Increased collaboration between industry and government with regards to waste policies will be key to recognizing the value

For full details and a copy of the report, please visit AMERIPEN.org.