7 innovative solutions for fighting food waste

We all waste food. Mealtime leftovers, fresh produce gone bad and fields of damaged crops: almost one-third of all food produced is uneaten.

Approximately 13% of food produced globally is lost between harvest and retail, while an estimated 17% is wasted by households, retailers and the food service sector, according to the United Nations.

Reducing the quantity of waste foodstuffs is not only good for household budgets, it also benefits the environment. Less production means fewer resources like land, water and livestock are needed, which benefits the environment and can help reduce agricultural and food industry emissions.

The United Nations Environmental Programme estimates that globally, 931 million tonnes of food is wasted annually, which equates to approximately 74kg per household.

As the chart above shows, breaking down the total waste figure, households discard an estimated 569 million tonnes, with the global food service sector wasting 244 million tonnes and food retailers responsible for around 118 million tonnes.

Fortunately, new solutions are being developed to tackle the food waste challenge. Here are some of the latest innovations.

A Geneva-based not-for-profit initiative is providing free-access public refrigerators and food shelves on city streets, so cooks of all descriptions can stock them with food that’s about to go bad. People passing by can then help themselves to fruit, vegetables, bakery products and other perishable food items at no cost.

No frozen items, opened food containers, prepared meals of alcohol are permitted in the fridges to safeguard public health, and most deposits are usually snapped up within hours, programme director Marine Delevaux told AP.

Similar food sharing initiatives are in place in Switzerland’s capital city Bern and elsewhere, with the idea imported from across the border in Germany where similar schemes have been in operation for more than a decade.

Misshapen or blemished fruits and vegetables are often rejected by large retailers, despite being perfectly edible.

But in Australia, these irregular perishable items now make up cut-price ‘imperfect’ fruit and vegetable subscription boxes that are delivered to consumers.

Australia generates 7.6 million tonnes of annual food waste, so utilizing what some describe as ‘ugly’ food items helps reduce water and land consumption and prevents unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions.

Saudi Arabia’s hot climate and sandy terrain means the country is heavily reliant on imported foods.

However, one initiative is using hydroponic – water-based – agriculture to produce fresh foods locally and reduce reliance on imports.

The innovative business model places mini hydroponic vertical farms in retail outlets, which can produce greens as and when needed. Fresh produce can be delivered from harvest to consumer within 45 minutes which reduces food waste from 40% to almost zero.

Recycled drainage water is filtered and used to irrigate plants, so the mini farms use 90% less water and can produce fresh produce in the harshest of climates.

Another farm-to-consumer scheme is reducing food waste in Asia. Solar-powered dryers and processing equipment are used to salvage wasted or spoiled crops, helping small-holder farmers turn unwanted produce into non-perishable food ingredients that can be sold.

The ingredients are made fit for the consumer at a central processing unit so they can be supplied as ingredients to the food and beverage sector.

Unwanted or inedible food deposits can form a breeding ground for bacteria and diseases, which can impact public health.

In Malaysia, on-site food composters use a specially formulated composting enzyme to convert all types of organic waste into compost, including garden waste, raw kitchen scraps, cooked food waste and compostable food packaging.

The portable composters can be used at home, food service outlets or at event sites and contain a biotech filtration system to neutralize foul odours.

Protective stickers coated in a plant-based antimicrobial substance can slow down the ripening process of fruit, extending its shelf-life by up to two weeks.

The non-toxic stickers emulate the chemicals found naturally in plants to protect fruits like apples, avocados, mangoes and citrus fruits from fungal infections.

This low-cost, easy-to-apply innovation eliminates the need for protective sprays or coatings to prevent bacterial infections and preserve fruit products.

An AI-powered dynamic pricing app developed in Europe helps supermarkets and online grocery outlets sell more of their perishable goods and reduce food waste.

Retailers add their stock data to the pricing engine, which applies dynamic pricing to perishable items based on their freshness. Fruits, vegetables and other fresh items are marked down in price as they near their expiry date – so consumers pay less, retailers sell more and there is less wasted food. So far, food waste in partner shops has decreased by 39% using the system.

Efforts to reduce global food waste have even reached outer space. The World Economic Forum’s Space Applications in Agriculture report, explores the value of using satellite data to enhance food and water security and bolster climate action.