Minimising Food Wastage with Dynamic Dating

Amid the current global trends surrounding climate change, waste reduction and economic growth, the complexity of the issue cannot be ignored. Responsible for 24% of greenhouse gas emissions, food waste has a substantial impact on the environment, one of the major contributors to climate change.

- Murali Manohar*

Awareness of sustainable 1S becoming practices increasingly imperative, especially in the food and beverage industry. Sustainability is vitally interlinked across all stages of the food ecosystem, from sourcing and processing to final consumption. Amid the current global trends surrounding climate change, waste reduction and economic growth, the complexity of the issue cannot be ignored. Responsible for 24% of greenhouse gas emissions, food waste has a substantial impact on the environment, one of the major contributors to climate change. In 2021, 17% of global food production went into waste bins, as per the UNEP Food Waste Index Report. While most of the food wasted is by consumers, it could be attributed to the confusion around the 'use by date' or 'best before use date'.

The enormous amount of food wastage and its consequences on the environment gives F&B manufacturers the opportunity to put future generations and the environment on the path sustainable development. Progressive F&B businesses are thus opting for new approaches that centre around best-befores and use-by dates and leveraging technologies to streamline their operations, reduce food losses and improve their profits and competitiveness.

MAKING SENSE OF DATE LABELS

One of the key areas to be addressed is consumer confusion over dates on products. As per UNEP's 2021 report, an Indian household wastes 50 kg of food every year. Most of the households discard food items that have crossed their 'expiry' or 'best before'. According to the International Journal of Food and Nutritional Sciences, about 58% and 55% of subjects reported that they 'always' or 'often' threw away food if it passes the best before use date'.