Making the food systems deliver

Dairy, being consumed by great percentages of people regularly, is definitely an integral part of the global waste reduction equation, from the product to the packaging. Sustainability is not an option – it is integral to our industry, our planet and ourselves.

Highlighting this, the long-awaited Wrap Food Pact Network report, Transforming the Food System Together, has been released. As it states, “Every year, 1.05 billion tonnes of food is lost or wasted, the equivalent of dumping 90 truckloads of food every single minute. This is more than double what’s needed to feed the 783 million people who go hungry around the world. It has led to the food system becoming one of the world’s top polluters, with food waste emitting 8-10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, nearly five times more than aviation, and it costs the global economy over US$1 trillion every year.” Sobering statistics. “The WRAP-convened Food Pact Network, launched in 2024 with support from the Rainier Climate Group, brings together 10 national and regional food waste Pacts across 9 countries, representing 14% of the global population, around 20% of global food waste, and 38% of global GDP to share knowledge, pool resources, and take action together.”

The results so far are already heartening. The report notes, there has been 220,000 tonnes of food waste reduction between 2019 and 2024, the equivalent to weight of around 600 fully loaded jumbo jets or 10,000 heavy good trucks of food. Around 2.7 million tonnes of surplus food has also been redistributed.

It makes for interesting reading, because dairy is such a key factor in food waste reduction all along the supply chain.

Meanwhile, we will be out and about in the European lactosphère this week: I’m off to Bern, Switzerland for the World Cheese Awards, while Liz Newmark is headed to Utrecht in the Netherlands to hear from the European Dairy Association at its annual convention. It promises to examine both the Dutch dairy sector and the larger European one. Sustainability is again a keyword for this convention, as it is every day for dairy and the rest of us global consumers.